Top-seeded Belgian Justine Henin-Hardenne would just as soon not be dubbed the favourite to lift the WTA trophy at the Pacific Life Open.
”It doesn’t matter what your seeding number is,” Henin-Hardenne said on Wednesday. ”I hate to talk about favourites. When you walk on the court, it doesn’t matter what your ranking is.”
Henin-Hardenne has won two of her three tournaments so far this year, but as her retirement in the final of the Australian Open reminded her, it’s not always enough to be playing good tennis.
”I’m still very concerned with some problems I have with my body now,” said the Belgian, citing tendinitis in her shoulder, a nagging knee problem and the gastrointestinal trouble that drove her out of the final in Melbourne.
Most pressing this week seems to be the sore shoulder.
”It’s a problem I’ve had four a couple of years,” Henin-Hardenne said. ”I just try to control the pain and deal with that. It’s something that’s going to be there for my whole career.”
Henin-Hardenne said she expects her shoulder to hold up for the tournament, but that between events she doesn’t practise serving to avoid aggravating the inflammation.
With the top 32 players receiving first-round byes, Henin-Hardenne and the tournament’s other big guns — including second-seeded American Lindsay Davenport, number three Maria Sharapova and her Russian compatriots Elena Dementieva (number four) and Anastasia Myskina (number five) — were on the sidelines on Wednesday as the event got off to a somewhat desultory start.
Among the players jockeying for position in opening-round action, American Ashley Harkleroad booked a second-round clash with Davenport with a 6-3, 7-5 victory over China’s Yan Zi.
American Lisa Raymond rallied to beat Czech Katerina Bohmova 2-6, 6-4, 7-6 (7/5) to line up a clash with France’s 30th seed Emilie Loit.
Australian Samantha Stosur was the highest-ranked player in action on Wednesday, at 55 in the world, downing Ukrainian qualifier Yuliana Fedak 3-6, 6-3, 6-0 to set up a meeting with 10th-seeded Russian Dinara Safina.
French qualifier Camille Pin beat Japan’s Saori Obata to advance to a meeting with former world number one Martina Hingis, the 19th seed.
American Jamea Jackson also booked a big-name match-up, defeating Georgian Anna Tatishvili 6-2, 6-3 to earn a shot at Sharapova. — Sapa-AFP