The Backspin Quiz Page

The Comeback Kim Clijsters Quiz

2009-08-08T14:19:00.004-04:00

Could it be? Is it? Why, yes. It is! Kim Clijsters is back. And she finally has her own Backspin Quiz.

>>>THE QUESTIONS<<<

1. Clijsters announced her '07 retirement after losing a 1st Round match in Warsaw. Who beat her?

a. Arantxa Parra-Santonja
b. Angelique Kerber
c. Julia Vakulenko
d. Alla Kudryavtseva
============================
2. Clijsters made her WTA tour debut in Antwerp in 1999, reaching the QF after getting into the main draw as a "lucky loser." What else of note happened in that same tournament?

a. Justine Henin also made her WTA debut
b. Els Callens won the title, making her the only Belgian other than Clijsters or Henin to win a WTA title while Clijsters and Henin were active from 1999-08
c. Justine Henin won her first WTA singles title
d. Clijsters won the doubles title with Henin
============================
3. Clijsters has won two grand slam doubles titles. With whom did she share the crowns?

a. Arantxa Sanchez Vicario (1) & Daniela Hantuchova (1)
b. she won both with Arantxa Sanchez Vicario
c. Arantxa Sanchez Vicario (1) & Ai Sugiyama (1)
d. she won both with Ai Sugiyama
============================
4. Clijsters has not played a U.S. Open match since she won the title in 2005. She retired before the '07 event, and was forced to withdraw before her '06 defense attempt due to a wrist injury she suffered in Montreal that August. Who was she playing in Montreal when she twice fell on her wrist and retired while leading the match?

a. Stephanie Dubois
b. Aleksandra Wozniak
c. Justine Henin
============================
5. What was Clijsters' record in grand slam singles finals before she won the U.S. Open title?

a. 0-3
b. 0-4
c. 0-5
============================
6. Clijsters was simultaneously ranked #1 in both singles and doubles for three weeks in 2003. She's one of five women to have done so. Name as many of them as you can.
============================
7. Where did Clijsters win her last WTA singles title before her mid-2007 retirement?

a. Antwerp '07
b. WTA Championship '06
c. Sydney '07
============================
8. What item did Clijsters famously provide as a gift to everyone in the crowd after one of her matches in Antwerp in 2006?

a. the same model tennis racket that she'd played with in the match
b. a bottle of champagne
c. an autographed photo and tennis ball
============================
9. Clijsters reached one junior slam singles final, losing the '98 Wimbledon Girls championship match. Who defeated her?

a. Katarina Srebotnik
b. Jelena Dokic
c. Justine Henin
d. Karolina Sprem
============================
10. When Clijsters retired in '07, she was #4 in the WTA singles rankings. Only two players in WTA history have retired while ranked higher. Who are they?

a. Justine Henin & Chris Evert
b. Justine Henin & Steffi Graf
c. Justine Henin & Martina Hingis (retirement #1)
============================

>>>THE ANSWERS (3 pts each unless noted)<<<

1. c. Vakulenko was the last player to defeat Clijsters in KC 1
============================
2. a & c. (3 pts. for either answer) Henin also made her debut in Antwerp, winning the title to become the fifth woman to claim a tour singles title in her WTA debut tournament
============================
3. d. Clijsters won both with Sugiyama (French Open and Wimbledon in '03)
============================
4. a. Dubois advanced in the QF match when Clijsters retired
============================
5. b. Clijsters was 0-4 before finally defeating Mary Pierce in the U.S. Open in 2005 (she lost three of the four finals to Henin, in the '03 RG & U.S. Open, as well as the '04 Australian)
============================
6. (3 pts. for each correct answer) Four other women have been the singles and doubles #1 at the same time: Martina Navratilova, Arantxa Sanchez Vicario, Martina Hingis and Lindsay Davenport
============================
7. c. Clijsters' last WTA singles title before her retirement during the '07 season came in Sydney that January, where she won a final in which she overcame a match point against Jelena Jankovic
============================
8. b. champagne
============================
9. a. Srebotnik won the '98 Wimbledon Girls final over Clijsters
============================
10. b. Graf was #3 when she retired in 1999, while Henin was #1 when she retired a season after Clijsters in '08.
============================

>>>THE SCORING<<<

33-39 - Finally! - You're like Clijsters at the U.S. Open in 2005
-----------------------------
21-30 - So Close! - Now you know how Clijsters felt when she lost the '01 Roland Garros final
-----------------------------
9-18 - Not Quite Ready! - Maybe you can retire and try again in two years
-----------------------------
0-6 - Burnt Waffle! - You're Clijsters, while this Backspin Quiz is Henin on the other side of the net in slam finals against her countrywoman
-----------------------------

All for now.

New Quizzes Coming Soon!

2009-05-20T18:50:00.004-04:00

Feeling a sense of withdrawal? Needing a Backspin Quiz fix to make everything better? Well, have no fear. Just as the four slams, including the French Open, come around every year, new quizzes will be arriving in no time.

In the mean time you can check the latest women's and men's tennis news at WTA Backspin and ATP Backspin.

Until quiz time. All for now.

The Olympic Tennis Quiz

2008-08-06T17:19:00.003-04:00

>>>THE QUESTIONS<<<

1. Who did Steffi Graf defeat in the '88 Seoul final to collect the Olympic title in her season's "Golden Slam?"

a. Gabriela Sabatini
b. Martina Navratilova
c. Arantxa Sanchez-Vicario
============================
2. Only one woman and one man have swept both the singles & doubles Golds at the Olympics since Vincent Richards and Helen Wills-Moody did it in 1924. Who were they?

a. Stefan Edberg & Jana Novotna
b. Stefan Edberg & Steffi Graf
c. Venus Williams & Nicolas Massu
d. Venus Williams & Andre Agassi
============================
3. Approximately how many months was Justine Henin out of action before she arrived in Athens and won the singles Gold?

a. one
b. three
c. five
============================
4. Which two teenagers won the Los Angeles '84 tournament when tennis was a demonstration event before its re-introduction as a medal sport in '88?

a. Steffi Graf & Boris Becker
b. Steffi Graf & Stefan Edberg
c. Gabriela Sabatini & Boris Becker
d. Hana Mandlikova & Pat Cash
============================
5. Which Swiss man has won more Olympic medals in his career?

a. Roger Federer
b. Marc Rosset
c. Stanislas Wawrinka
d. no Swiss man has ever won a tennis medal
============================
6. Pick the woman who has won the most Olympic medals in her career:

a. Arantxa Sanchez-Vicario
b. Venus Williams
c. Conchita Martinez
d. Mary Joe Fernandez
============================
7. How old was Jennifer Capriati when she won her Olympic singles Gold?

a. 16
b. 17
c. 18
============================
8. Only three women have played in a singles medal match (Gold or Bronze) in her home country at the Olympics since the sport's return in 1988. Pick the three:

a. Conchita Martinez (Barcelona '92)
b. Arantxa Sanchez-Vicario (Barcelona '92)
c. Lindsay Davenport (Atlanta '96)
d. Mary Joe Fernandez (Atlanta '96)
e. Jelena Dokic (Sydney '00)
f. Alicia Molik (Sydney '00)
g. Eleni Daniilidou (Athens '04)
============================
9. What distinction do Steffi Graf and Andre Agassi share?

a. they're the only players who've won two Olympic singles Golds
b. they're the only Olympic Gold winners who've also won ten or more slam titles
c. they're the only two players in history to win Olympic Gold, all four slams and their tour's year-ending championship
============================
10. Pick the three current American TV tennis commentators who have won Olympic medals:

Katrina Adams
Brad Gilbert
Mary Joe Fernandez
John McEnroe
Patrick McEnroe
Corina Morariu
Martina Navratilova
Pam Shriver
============================

>>>THE ANSWERS (3 pts each unless noted)<<<

1. a - Sabatini
============================
2. c - Venus Williams ('00) and Nicolas Massu ('04) swept the singles and doubles Golds
============================
3. b - Henin was out about three months prior to Athens with what was later diagnosed as the cytomegalovirus, not playing after an early loss at Roland Garros in late May until the Games began in mid-August. After winning the Gold, she played four matches at the U.S. Open and then missed the rest of the season.
============================
4. b - Steffi Graf (15) and Stefan Edberg (18) won the demonstration event in L.A.
============================
5. b - Marc Rosset won the singles Gold in '92. Federer lost the Bronze Medal match in '00, and fell in the 2nd Round in '04, and is still seeking his first Olympic medal.
============================
6. a - Sanchez Vicario won four Olympic medals (two Silver, two Bronze) since the return of the sport in 1988. Conchita Martinez, Jana Novotna and Mary Joe Fernandez won three.
============================
7. a - Capriati was 16 in Barcelona '92 when she defeated Graf in the singles final. It would be her eight and a half years before she'd win her first slam title at the Australian Open in 2001.
============================
8. (3 pts. for each correct answer; total: 9 pts.) c, d, e - Davenport won singles Gold in Atlanta, while Fernandez lost the Bronze match in the same Games. Dokic lost in the Bronze match, as well, in Sydney.
============================
9. c - married Graf & Agassi are the only players who've won all four slams, Olympic Gold and the YEC. Henin retired needing to only win Wimbledon (she was twice RU) to become the third male or female player to accomplish the feat.
============================
10. (3 pts. for each correct answer; total: 9 pts.) - Gilbert ('88 singles Bronze), Shriver ('88 doubles Gold) and Fernandez ('92 & '96 doubles Gold, '92 singles Bronze) have all won Olympic medals.
============================

>>>THE SCORING<<<

33-42 - If you can find a willing partner, you're ready to take on the Williams sisters in a "friendly" doubles match
-----------------------------
21-30 - Like Sanchez Vicario, your numbers are good, but you never grabbed the Gold
-----------------------------
9-18 - Like Roddick, you can just tell everyone you skipped the Games
-----------------------------
0-6 - On the bright side, you've still won as many Olympic medals as Federer
-----------------------------

All for now.

The "Conquering Federer" Quiz

2007-04-10T18:10:00.000-04:00

Look! Up in the sky! It's a bird! It's a plane! It's... Super-Federer. But not always. He IS mortal, after all.

This Backspin Quiz focuses on the times when King Roger has come face-to-face with a little Kryptonite...

>>>THE QUESTIONS<<<

1. Federer has appeared in thirteen slam singles finals of the Men's and Junior competitions in his career. His record in those finals is 11-2. Who beat him?

a. Rafael Nadal & David Nalbandian
b. Rafael Nadal & Andy Roddick
c. Rafael Nadal & Marat Safin
============================
2. Federer's current streak of grass court wins is an all-time best 48. Who was the last player to defeat him on grass?

a. Mario Ancic
b. Goran Ivanisevic
c. Pete Sampras
d. Mark Philippoussis
============================
3. In 2006, Federer's 55-match North American winning streak came to an end when he was defeated by whom?

a. Andy Murray in Los Angeles
b. Rafael Nadal in Washington, D.C.
c. Andy Murray in Cincinnati
============================
4. What commentator raised Federer's ire last year when they wondered aloud whether the world #1 really "cared" about one of his non-slam losses?

a. Mary Carillo
b. John McEnroe
c. Brad Gilbert
d. Pam Shriver
============================
5. Andy Roddick is 1-13 in ATP tour singles matches against Federer. When and where did that single victory occur?

a. 2000 U.S. Open
b. 2002 Houston
c. 2003 Montreal
============================
6. Federer failed to win the Gold Medal at the 2004 Athens Olympics. In what round did he lose?

a. in the Final
b. in the SF
c. in the QF
d. in the 2nd Round
============================
7. Who beat him?

a. Thomas Johansson
b. Nicolas Massu
c. Tomas Berdych
d. Tommy Haas
============================
8. Federer reached his first ATP singles final in Marseille in 2000. He lost in a final set tie-break to which player?

a. Wayne Ferreira
b. Greg Rusedski
c. Marc Rosset
============================
9. Guillermo Canas' victories over Federer in this year's Indian Wells and Miami events made the Argentine the fourth player to pull off the feat of wins over Federer in back-to-back tournaments. From the list below, pick the other three to do so:

a. Marc Rosset
b. Pete Sampras
c. David Nalbandian
d. Lleyton Hewitt
e. Andre Agassi
f. Thomas Muster
============================
10. Since Federer lost in the 2005 Australian Open SF to Marat Safin, he's played 55 grand slam singles matches. He's 1-2 against Rafael Nadal in those matches. What is his record in the other 52 matches against the field?

a. 50-2
b. 51-1
c. 52-0
============================
BONUS: In 2000, Federer lost the Olympic Bronze Medal match in Sydney to which Frenchman?

a. Arnaud Di Pasquale
b. Arnaud Clement
c. Sebastien Grosjean
d. Cedric Pioline
============================

>>>THE ANSWERS (2 pts each unless noted)<<<

1. a. Nadal defeated Federer in the 2006 Roland Garros final, while Nalbandian won the 1998 U.S. Open junior final.
============================
2. a. Ancic defeated Federer in the 1st Round of Wimbledon in 2002.
============================
3. b. Murray defeated Federer in the 2nd Round in Cincinnati.
============================
4. a. Mary Carillo.
============================
5. c. Roddick's single victory over Federer came in the '03 Montreal SF.
============================
6. d. He lost in the 2nd Round...
============================
7. c. ...to Tomas Berdych.
============================
8. c. Marc Rosset.
============================
9.(2 pts. for each of three correct answers) a,c,d. Rosset in 2000, Hewitt in 2002 and Nalbandian in 2003 accomplished the same feat Canas did in 2007.
============================
10. c. Federer has gone 52-0 against everyone other than Nadal in slam matches since the '05 Australian Open, winning six titles.
============================
BONUS: (4 pts.) Arnaud Di Pasquale won the '00 Olympic Bronze Medal match.
============================

>>>THE SCORING<<<

20-28 - Rafael Nadal vs. Federer, on clay
-----------------------------
12-18 - Guillermo Canas vs. Federer, post-drug suspension
-----------------------------
10-16 - Tomas Berdych vs. Federer, in Athens
-----------------------------
0-8 - Andy Roddick vs. Federer, in Montreal... after 2003
-----------------------------

All for now.

The (Long Overdue) Maria Sharapova Quiz

2006-09-30T23:59:00.000-04:00

>>>THE QUESTIONS<<<

1. Sharapova appeared in her first WTA event when she was granted a wild card into the main draw of Indian Wells in 2002. She reached the 2nd Round before losing to...

a. Monica Seles
b. Martina Hingis
c. Kim Clijsters
============================
2. In 2003, 16-year old Sharapova won her first WTA singles title. Where did she do it?

a. Tokyo, Japan
b. Sydney, Australia
c. Warsaw, Poland
============================
3. Who did she defeat in the final?

a. Jelena Kostanic
b. Aniko Kapros
c. Lina Krasnoroutskaya
============================
4. In the SF of Indian Wells in 2005, Lindsay Davenport defeated Sharapova 6-0/6-0. How long did the match last?

a. 29 minutes
b. 49 minutes
c. 59 minutes
============================
5. Sharapova defeated Serena Williams in the final of the 2004 WTA Championships in Los Angeles, 4-6/6-2/6-4. From what deficit did she stage her comeback in the 3rd set?

a. 3-0
b. 4-1
c. 4-0
============================
6. Sharapova reached the junior finals of both the Australian Open and Wimbledon in 2002, losing both matches. From the following sets of pairs, pick the two correct players who defeated her.

1... Vera Dushevina or Vera Zvonareva?
2... Daja Bedanova or Barbora Strycova?
============================
7. Sharapova won her first grand slam title at Wimbledon in 2004, a year after she'd recorded her first grand slam main draw singles match victory in the 1st Round there. Who did she defeat in that 2003 match?

a. Ashley Harkleroad
b. Ainsley Cargill
c. Alexandra Stevenson
============================
8. For how many weeks did Sharapova hold the #1 singles ranking in 2005?

a. 1
b. 7
c. 14
============================
9. Sharapova won in her first six appearances in WTA singles finals from 2003-04. Her first loss in a final came in Zurich in October '04. Who beat her?

a. Elena Dementieva
b. Anna Smashnova
c. Alicia Molik
============================
10. Of the sixteen other Russians ranked in the WTA singles Top 100 (as of September 25, 2006), Sharapova has played twelve of them during her pro career. She has a winning record against all but two. Who are they?

a. Kuznetsova & Myskina
b. Safina & Dementieva
c. Myskina & Zvonareva
============================

>>>THE ANSWERS (2 pts each unless noted)<<<

1. a. Monica Seles
============================
2. a. Sharapova's first title came when she swept both the singles and doubles crowns at the Japan Open in Tokyo in October '03.
============================
3. b. Aniko Kapros, 2-6/6-2/7-6(5)
============================
4. b. 49 minutes
============================
5. c. With Williams injured and firing away winners from the baseline, Sharapova fell behind 4-0 in the 3rd set before winning the final six games of the match to take the title.
============================
6. (2 pts. for each of two correct answers) 1...Dushevina won the '02 Wimbledon junior final; 2...Strycova won the Australian Open junior final in '02.
============================
7. a. Ashley Harkleroad
============================
8. b. 7 weeks, beginning in August '05. She was the first Russian woman to be ranked #1. She finished the season at #4.
============================
9. c. Molik won, 4-6/6-2/6-3
============================
10. a. Kuznetsova & Myskina, the only other Russians besides Sharapova to win slam singles titles, both currently hold 3-2 advantages over her in career meetings.
============================

>>>THE SCORING<<<

15-22 - You Feel Pretty, Oh So Pretty
-----------------------------
11-14 - You're Making Nearly Every Shot a Power Shot
-----------------------------
7-10 - Don't Choke on that Banana Yuri Told You to Eat
-----------------------------
0-6 - No Cell Phone Reception Here
-----------------------------

All for now.

The Federer/Nadal Quiz

2006-07-16T22:42:00.000-04:00

>>>THE QUESTIONS<<<

1. Of the eight Federer/Nadal match-ups, how many of them DID NOT occur in a tournament final?

a. 0 - all of them have been in finals
b. 2
c. 4
============================
2. Nadal currently has a record 60-match winning streak on clay. Who was the last player to defeat him on the surface?

a. Igor Andreev
b. Roger Federer
c. Carlos Moya
d. Alberto Martin
============================
3. Federer currently has a record 48-match winning streak on grass. Who was the last player to defeat him on the surface?

a. Mark Philippoussis
b. Mario Ancic
c. David Nalbandian
d. Andre Agassi
============================
4. Nadal won Roland Garros in 2005 as a 19-year old. Before him, who was the last teenaged male to win a slam singles title?

a. Andy Roddick
b. Juan Carlos Ferrero
c. Andre Agassi
d. Pete Sampras
============================
5. True/False. Roger Federer has won a Hopman Cup title for Switzerland, with Martina Hingis as his teammate.
============================
6. Nadal only played one junior slam event - Wimbledon in 2002. What was his singles result?

a. he lost in the 1st Round
b. he reached the SF
c. he was runner-up
d. he was the champion
============================
7. Federer is one of only four players to win both the Wimbledon Juniors and Men's title. Who are the other three?

a. Bjorn Borg, Stefan Edberg, Boris Becker
b. Bjorn Borg, Pat Cash, Stefan Edberg
c. Bjorn Borg, Boris Becker, Goran Ivanisevic
============================
8. Federer has never won an Olympic medal in singles, failing to do so in Sydney '00 (2nd Round) and Athens '04 (losing the Bronze Medal Match). From the list below, pick the three players who defeated him in Olympic competition:

Tim Henman
Arnaud Di Pasquale
Lleyton Hewitt
Tomas Berdych
Tommy Haas
Nicolas Lapentti
============================
9. Federer has been ranked #1 for 128 consecutive weeks (as of July 17). He's the fourth ATP player to hold the top-ranked position for over 100 straight weeks. Who were the other three?

a. Connors, Lendl, Sampras
b. McEnroe, Lendl, Sampras
c. Connors, McEnroe, Sampras
============================
10. There have been ten tie-break sets in the Federer/Nadal series. Who holds the edge? (Bonus: By what margin?)
============================
BONUS: Federer's record run of consecutive victories in singles finals reached what number -- 16, 20, 24 or 28? Who ended his streak in 2005?
============================

>>>THE ANSWERS (2 pts each unless noted)<<<

1. b. Two of the eight meetings came before tournament finals: 2004 Miami (3rd Round) and 2005 Roland Garros (SF). Nadal won both matches.
============================
2. a. Igor Andreev, in the Valencia QF in May 2005.
============================
3. b. Mario Ancic, in the 1st Round of Wimbledon 2002.
============================
4. d. Sampras, 19, at the U.S. Open in 1990.
============================
5. True. Federer/Hingis won the Hopman Cup in January 2001.
============================
6. b. Nadal reached the 2002 Wimbledon juniors SF.
============================
7. b. Borg, Cash, Edberg and Federer are the only Junior and Men's title winners at Wimbledon.
============================
8. (2 pts each for one or two correct; 7 points for all three) Brdych defeated Federer in the 2nd Round in Sydney, while he lost to Haas in the Athens SF before also losing to Di Pasquale in the Bronze Medal Match.
============================
9. a. Connors (160 weeks), Lendl (157) and Sampras (102).
============================
10.(2 pts. for one correct; 5 pts. if both correct) Nadal has won the majority of the tie-breaks in his series against Federer, by a 6-4 margin.
============================
BONUS: (2 pts. if get one answer correct; 5 pts if both correct) Federer's streak reached 24 before losing to David Nalbandian in the 2005 Masters Cup final.
============================

>>>THE SCORING<<<

23-33 - RogerRafaSlam
-----------------------------
14-24 - Guillermo Vilas, after Nadal
-----------------------------
5-13 - Andy Roddick, after Federer
-----------------------------
0-4 - The rest of the ATP field, after Federer/Nadal
-----------------------------

All for now.

2006 1Q ATP/WTA Quiz

2006-04-09T12:54:00.000-04:00

>>>THE QUESTIONS<<<

1.Mahesh Bhupathi & Martina Hingis teamed to win the Australian Open Mixed Doubles title in January. It was the sixth Mixed slam title of Bhupathi's career, with all of them won with different WTA partners. Of the list below, which five joined Hingis as Bhupathi's winning teammate?

Mary Pierce
Elena Likhovtseva
Martina Navratilova
Jelena Dokic
Ai Sugiyama
Rika Fujiwara
Rika Hiraki
Shinobu Asagoe
Daniela Hantuchova
============================
2.Before Melbourne, when was the last time Hingis was a Doubles or Mixed Doubles champion at a grand slam? Who was her partner?
============================
3.Four American women reached WTA singles semifinals in the 1st Quarter. Three of them -- Lindsay Davenport, Jill Craybas & Amy Frazier -- are at least 29 years old. Who's the youngest American semifinalist?

a.Laura Granville
b.Meghann Shaughnessy
c.Ashley Harkleroad
d.Vania King
============================
4.Everyone remembers that Roger Federer and Marcos Baghdatis reached the Australian Open final. But who were their fellow semifinalists?

a.Tommy Hass & Nikolay Davydenko
b.David Nalbandian & Nicolas Kiefer
c.Sebastien Grosjean & Mario Ancic
============================
5.What milestone did Lindsay Davenport accomplish in the 1st Quarter?

a.she got her 700th career match win
b.she played her 1000th career match
c.she won her 50th career singles title
============================
6.Roger Federer swept both 2006 Masters Series events in Indian Wells and Miami in the 1st Quarter. It means that nine of the last ten non-Masters Cup events have been won by either Federer (6) or Rafael Nadal (3). Who won the single remaining title?

a.Tomas Berdych
b.Andy Roddick
c.David Nalbandian
d.Ivan Ljubicic
============================
7.True/False. Samantha Stosur recently became the 21st WTA player to be ranked #1 in doubles, making her the first Aussie woman to hold the top spot.
============================
8.What did Bjorn Phau and Guillermo Garcia-Lopez have in common in the 1st Quarter?

a.they both defeated Andy Roddick
b.they both defeated Guillermo Coria
c.they both defeated Andre Agassi
d.they both defeated Lleyton Hewitt
============================
9.The same player ended the WTA's two longest 1st Quarter winning streaks (by Amelie Mauresmo and Maria Sharapova). Who was she?

a.Elena Dementieva
b.Svetlana Kuznetsova
c.Justine Henin-Hardenne
============================
10.Of the list below, pick the ATP/WTA players with multiple tour singles titles in the 1st Quarter:

Roger Federer
James Blake
Maria Sharapova
Amelie Mauresmo
Ivan Ljubicic
Rafael Nadal
Elena Dementieva
Justine Henin-Hardenne
Tommy Haas
============================

>>>THE ANSWERS (1 pt each unless noted)<<<

1.(1 pt. for each of 5 answers) Bhupathi also won Mixed slam titles with Hiraki ('97 Roland Garros), Sugiyama ('99 U.S. Open), Likhovtseva ('02 Wimbledon), Pierce ('05 Wimbledon) and Hantuchova ('05 U.S. Open).
============================
2.(1 pts. for each of 3 answers - year/slam/partner) Hingis' last slam Doubles title was with Anna Kournikova at the '02 Australian Open. The win with Bhupathi was her first Mixed title.
============================
3.d. Vania King, 17, was a semifinalist in Bangalore. She lost to Mara Santangelo.
============================
4.b. Nalbandian & Kiefer
============================
5.a. Davenport became the eighth woman to record 700 victories, joining Martina Navratilova, Chris Evert, Steffi Graf, Virginia Wade, Arantxa Sanchez Vicario, Conchita Martinez and Evonne Goolagong. She's yet to reach 900 matches, and already has 51 singles titles.
============================
6.a. Berdych won the Masters Series title in Paris in November, defeating Ljubicic in the final. Nalbandian won the year-ending Masters Cup title.
============================
7.False. Fellow Aussie Rennae Stubbs was co-#1 with Lisa Raymond for three weeks in August/September 2000.
============================
8.d. Both Phau and Garcia-Lopez defeated Andre Agassi in the 1st Quarter.
============================
9.b. Kuznetsova ended Mauresmo's 16-match streak in the Dubai QF, and Sharapova's 11-match string in the Miami final.
============================
10.(1 pt. for each of 6 answers) ATP players with multiple 1Q titles were Federer (4), Blake (2), Ljubicic (2) and Haas (2). WTA players were Mauresmo (3) and Henin-Hardenne (2).
============================

>>>THE SCORING<<<

16-21 - Mr. Federer, I presume?
-----------------------------
10-15 - Ms. Henin-Hardenne, I presume?
-----------------------------
5-9 - Mr. Roddick, I presume?
-----------------------------
0-4 - Ms. Dokic, I presume?
-----------------------------

All for now.

2005/4Q WTA Quiz

2005-11-20T13:06:00.000-05:00

>>>THE QUESTIONS<<<

1.This was the end-of-season WTA singles Top 10:

#1 Lindsay Davenport
#2 Kim Clijsters
#3 Amelie Mauresmo
#4 Maria Sharapova
#5 Mary Pierce
#6 Justine Henin-Hardenne
#7 Patty Schnyder
#8 Elena Dementieva
#9 Nadia Petrova
#10 Venus Williams

Only four of the above players maintained their Top 10 ranking for all 45 weeks of the WTA schedule. Who were they?
============================
2.Two players notched multiple wins over #1-ranked players in the world in 2005. Who did it?

a.Kim Clijsters & Venus Williams
b.Serena Williams & Amelie Mauresmo
c.Maria Sharapova & Mary Pierce
============================
3.BACKSPIN NICKNAME MATCH-UP. Which of the '05 Backspin nicknames goes with the appropriate player?

a.Ferris
b.Vesuvius
c.Killer
d.Steamer
e.Sneaky
----------------
1.Alicia Molik
2.Nicole Vaidisova
3.Venus Williams
4.Patty Schnyder
5.Kim Clijsters
============================
4.From the list below, pick all the players who defeated Serena Williams in 2005:

a.Tiantian Sun
b.Jill Craybas
c.Francesca Schiavone
d.Silvia Farina Elia
e.Jelena Jankovic
f.Anna-Lena Groenefeld
============================
5.TRUE/FALSE. In 2005, no American woman won a WTA singles title who wasn't named Davenport or Williams.
============================
6.Kim Clijsters earned $2,200,000 (USD) for winning both the U.S. Open Series and the U.S. Open title. What was the bonus she gave her coach?

a.9% of $2.2m
b.$9,000
c.$90,000
d.none
============================
7.In 2005, several players had periods of time when they were simultaneously ranked in the Top 10 in both singles and doubles. From this list, which ones did?

Kim Clijsters
Lindsay Davenport
Svetlana Kuznetsova
Alicia Molik
Nadia Petrova
Vera Zvonareva
============================
8.Several countries had a lone player advance to a WTA singles final this season. Three of them were Croatia, Colombia and the Netherlands. Name the single finalist who represented each country in a deciding match.
============================
9.Which player who finished ranked in the singles Top 50 raised her ranking the most places since the end of 2004?

a.Nicole Vaidisova
b.Sania Mirza
c.Sesil Karatantcheva
d.Lucie Safarova
============================
10.CZECH OR RUSSIAN? Match up the following 2005 ITF titlists with their nationalities:

Renata Voracova
Angelina Gabueva
Sandra Zahlavova
Veronika Raimrova
Anastasia Pivovarova
Iveta Gerlova
============================
BONUS: In the 4Q, Cara Black became the 20th woman to be ranked #1 since the doubles rankings were established in 1984. Twelve, including Black, played on tour in 2005. Name as many as you can.
============================

>>>THE ANSWERS (2 pts.each unless noted)<<<

1.(2 pts.for each of 4 correct answers) Davenport, Mauresmo, Sharapova and Dementieva were the only players who remained in the Top 10 for every week of the season.
============================
2.c. Sharapova (two wins over #1 Davenport) and Pierce (also two over Davenport) recorded multiple victories over world #1's in 2005. Anna-Lena Groenefeld, it should be noted, defeated #1 Davenport once and led then-#1 Sharapova 6-1/4-2 before being forced to retire with an ankle injury.
============================
3.(2 pts.for each of 5 correct answers) a-3, b-2, c-5, d-1, e-4
============================
4.(2 pts.for each of 5 correct answers) a,b,c,d,e. Five of the six players listed all notched wins over Serena this year. From the list, only Groenefeld did not.
============================
5.False. Amy Frazier, 33, won the title in Quebec City in Week 44.
============================
6.b. Clijsters gave her coach a "whopping" $9,000 bonus. Needless to say, he's now her former coach.
============================
7.(2 pts.for each of 3 correct answers) Kuznetsova (35 weeks), Molik (18) and Petrova (12) spent time in the Top 10 in both singles and doubles at the same time in '05.
============================
8.(2 pts for each of 3 correct answers) Croatia: Karolina Sprem was Kolkata RU to Anastasia Myskina; Colombia: Catalina Castano was Budapest RU to Anna Smashnova; Netherlands: Michaella Krajicek won the Tashkent final over Akgul Amanmuradova.
============================
9.b. Mirza jumped 175 spots (#206 to #31) in the last twelve months. Safarova went up 135 (#183 to #50), Karatantcheva 92 (#127 to #35) and Vaidisova 62 (#77 to #15).
============================
10.(2 pts.for each of 6 correct answers) Voracova, Zahlavova, Raimrova and Gerlova are Czechs. Gabueva and Pivovarova are Russian.
============================
BONUS: (1 pt.for each of 12 correct answers) In chronological order of first reaching the #1 ranking: Martina Navratilova, Arantxa Sanchez Vicario, Lindsay Davenport, Martina Hingis, Corina Morariu, Lisa Raymond, Rennae Stubbs, Ai Sugiyama, Paola Suarez, Kim Clijsters, Virginia Ruano-Pascual and Cara Black.
============================

>>>THE SCORING<<<

55-70 - You're like Vaidisova in 2006
----------------------------
35-54 - You're like Sharapova, good but hoping for more in 2006
----------------------------
15-34 - You're like Mirza, your results could go either way in 2006
----------------------------
5-14 - You're like Zvonareva, just wishing for 2006 to get here
----------------------------
0-4 - You're like Capriati, looking for a comeback in 2006
----------------------------

All for now.

2005 3Q/Fed Cup Quiz

2005-09-19T16:47:00.000-04:00

>>>THE QUESTIONS<<<

1."The most challenging thing about coming back has been doing it. I've just had to tell myself it's going to take a while. If I hadn't got off to a good start at Wimbledon, who knows where I might have been." Who said it?

a.Venus Williams
b.Daniela Hantuchova
c.Ashley Harkleroad
============================
2.Russia just completed the defense of its 2004 Fed Cup title. Which was the last country to win back-to-back FC championships?

a.USA, 1999-2000
b.Spain, 1994-95
c.France, 2001-02
============================
3.Kim Clijsters went 23-1 during the North American hardcourt season, claiming her first slam title at the U.S. Open. The one loss was her first on hardcourts since the 2003 U.S. Open final. What player defeated Clijsters this summer? And where?
============================
4.MATCH GAME. Match the career singles record with the opponent:

a.Kim Clijsters 10-9 vs.
b.Venus Williams 7-7 vs.
c.Martina Hingis 2-0 vs.
d.Kim Clijsters 4-0 vs.
-----------------------
1.Martina Navratilova
2.Serena Williams
3.Maria Sharapova
4.Justine Henin-Hardenne
============================
5.BACKSPIN NICKNAME MATCH-UP. Five major new Backspin nicknames gained footing over the last few months. Match them with the player they refer to:

a.Patty Schnyder
b.Kim Clijsters
c.Anna-Lena Groenefeld
d.Amelie Mauresmo
e.Venus Williams
-----------------------
1.Girl Friday
2.Albie
3.Ferris
4.Killer
5.Sneaky
============================
6.Pick out the t-shirt slogan that Sania Mirza DIDN'T sport at the U.S. Open:

a."Well-behaved women rarely make history."
b."You can either agree with me, or be wrong."
c."I'm cute? (No shit!)"
d."Do you like my butt? Good. You should."
============================
7.Steffi Graf, 36, returned to action this summer by making her debut in WTT action. What was the result of her one singles match?

a.she lost to Elena Likhovtseva
b.she defeated Martina Navratilova
c.she lost to Nicole Vaidisova
============================
8.ALPHABET SOUP. Can you identify each "three-named player" with just her initials to go by?

a...JHH
b...VRP
c...ALG
d...MVK
e...LDL
f...MDO
g...AMG
h...MSL
============================
9.Anna Smashnova went 2-0 in singles finals during the 3rd Quarter, giving her what career record in eleven WTA finals?

a.2-9
b.11-0
c.6-5
============================
10.At the U.S. Open, Sania Mirza became the first Indian woman to reach a slam singles 4th Round. In the previous three slams of 2005, she had 1st, 2nd and 3rd Round singles results. Match the three other results with the correct slam (Australian, Roland Garros & Wimbledon).
============================
BONUS QUESTIONS:
1.How long was Mary Pierce's injury delay during her U.S. Open SF against Elena Dementieva (within 2 minutes)?
-----------------
2.What's the name of Serena Williams' pet dog, as revealed this summer in the reality TV series, "Venus & Serena: For Real?"
-----------------
3.In WTT competition, which ATP player did Meghann Shaughnessy face off against in singles action?
-----------------
4.Martina Hingis was 25-1 in singles & doubles WTT set-long matches this season. Who was the one woman who defeated her?
-----------------
5.Before winning the last two Fed Cup titles, what was Russia's record in its four previous trips to the FC final?
-----------------

>>>THE ANSWERS (2 pts each unless noted)<<<

1.c. Harkleroad, after winning an ITF event in Washington, D.C.
============================
2.a. the USA's 1999-00 title run was the last Fed Cup repeat. Spain, though, was the last to three-peat, from 1993-95.
============================
3.(2 pts for each of 2 answers) Shuai Peng, in the San Diego QF.
============================
4.(2 pts for each of 4 answers) a-4, b-2, c-1 (though they've only met in WTT competition), d-3.
============================
5.(1 pt for each of 5 answers) a-5, b-4, c-1, d-2, e-3
============================
6.d. Mirza didn't wear a shirt emblazoned with that one... though she could soon.
============================
7.a. she lost to Likhovtseva 5-4 (5-3 TB, after being tied at 4-4).
============================
8.(1 pt for each of 8 answers) a-JHH/Justine-Henin-Hardenne; b-VRP/Virginia Ruano-Pascual; c-ALG/Anna-Lena Groenefeld; d-MVK/Maria Vento-Kabchi; e-LDL/Lourdes Dominguez-Lino; f-MDO/Mariana Diaz-Oliva; g-AMG/Anabel Medina-Garrigues; h-MSL/Maria Sanchez-Lorenzo
============================
9.b. 11-0
============================
10.(1 pt for each of 3 answers) 1st Rd-Roland Garros, 2nd Rd-Wimbledon, 3rd Rd-Australian
============================
BONUS QUESTIONS (2 pts.each):
1.12 minutes (10-14 range in correct)
2.Jackie
3.Brian Valhaly (Shaughnessy lost 5-1)
4.Meghann Shaughnessy
5.0-4 (0-2 as the USSR in 1988 & '90, and in 1999 & '01 as Russia)
============================

>>>THE SCORING<<<

33-48... Killer Kim? Killer you!
-----------------------
17-32... Hey, the Supernova reached three slam semifinals in '05, so being close is still a good thing
-----------------------
6-16... You should have taken a Pierce-esque timeout to regain your senses
-----------------------
0-5... Like Venus, I'm sure you have a "credible" excuse for this
-----------------------

All for now.

2005 2Q Quiz

2005-07-11T19:44:00.000-04:00

>>>THE QUESTIONS<<<

1."Today something didn't feel right. I guess it's the puberty's fault." Who said it?
a.Sania Mirza
b.Sesil Karatantcheva
c.Nicole Vaidisova
===============================
2.True or False. Kim Clijsters is the only player to string together two winning streaks of at least ten WTA match wins this season.
===============================
3.Match the Anastasia Myskina Wimbledon comeback scenario with the player she defeated:

A...after leading 6-0/5-3 and holding a match point, Myskina fell behind 1-5 in the 3rd set before ultimately winning it 10-8

B...trailed 5-7/1-4, then 0-3 in the 3rd before winning 6-4 to take the match

C...trailed 1-6/1-3, and saw her opponent serve for the match at 5-4; after taking the 2nd set TB at 11-9, Myskina won the final set 7-5.
-------------------------------
1...defeated Elena Dementieva
2...defeated Katerina Bohmova
3...defeated Jelena Jankovic
===============================
4.World #1 Lindsay Davenport has six losses in WTA singles matches in 2005. Pick out the six players who have beaten her this season:

a.Maria Sharapova
b.Patty Schnyder
c.Justine Henin-Hardenne
d.Serena Williams
e.Venus Williams
f.Amelie Mauresmo
g.Mary Pierce
h.Kim Clijsters
===============================
5."I played really well that first set, but then I got a little bored.I was thinking, when is this match going to finish, and the next thing I knew I was down four-love." Who said it?

a.Serena Williams
b.Jelena Dokic
c.Anastasia Myskina
===============================
6.At Roland Garros, #7-seeded Nadia Petrova was the top-seeded of the remaining four semifinalists (seed #'s 10,16 & 21), making her the lowest high-seed in a slam SF in the Open era (since 1968). Whose record did she break?

a.Myskina at 2004 Roland Garros
b.Novotna at 1998 Wimbledon
c.Capriati at 2001 Australian Open
d.Kuznetsova at 2004 US Open
===============================
7.Match the 2005 slam champion with the player who held at least one match point against them earlier in the tournament:

a.Serena Williams (Australian)
b.Justine Henin-Hardenne (R.Garros)
c.Venus Williams (Wimbledon)
-------------------------------
1.Lindsay Davenport
2.Svetlana Kuznetsova
3.Maria Sharapova
===============================
BONUS: (2 pts. each) Name the round of the tournament when the eventual champion overcame being match point(s) down.
===============================
8.Six players active on the WTA tour in 2005 have played in singles finals at each of the four grand slams during their careers. How many can you name?
===============================
9.The last six slams have produced six different champions, a first in the Open era. The previous Open era record was five straight slams with unique titlists. When did it last happen?

a.1998-99
b.1988-89
c.1978-79
===============================
10.Czech, not a Czech... and actually a Russian. Identify the following ITF singles titlists from the season's first half as hailing from either the Czech Republic or Russia:

Iveta Gerlova
Anna Bastrikova
Ekaterina Kozhokhina
Renata Voracova
Petra Cetkovska
Darina Sedenkova
===============================

==THE ANSWERS (1 point each unless noted)==

1.b. Karatantcheva, after her 0-6/1-6 2nd Round loss to Maria Sharapova at Wimbledon.
===============================
2.False. Only one player has done it, but it was Sharapova (12 and 10-match streaks) rather than Clijsters who has accomplished the feat in 2005.
===============================
3.(1 point for each of three correct answers) A-3 (3rd Rd.), B-2 (1st Rd.), C-1 (4th Rd.)
===============================
4.(1 point for each of six correct answers) a,c,d,e,g,h. Sharapova, Henin-Hardenne, S.Williams, V.Williams, Pierce and Clijsters have defeated Davenport in 2005.
===============================
5.c. Myskina, at Amelia Island, after her 2nd Rd. match against Shahar Peer. It was a typically up-and-down affair for the Czarina. After winning the 1st set in 20 minutes, she lost the 2nd 3-6 after going down 0-4. She took the 3rd, and the match, by a 6-3 score.
===============================
6.a. #7 Petrova bested the record set one year earlier at RG, with eventual champion #6 Myskina being the lowest high seed to reach the semfinals.
===============================
7.(1 point for each of three correct answers) a-3,b-2,c-1.
===============================
BONUS: (2 pts. for each of three correct answers) S.Williams/Sharapova (Australian SF), JHH/Kuznetsova (Roland Garros 4th), V.Williams/Davenport (Wimbledon F)
===============================
8.(1 point for each of six correct answers) S.Williams (2 Aus/1 RG/3 Wimb/3 US), V.Williams (1-1-5-4), JHH (1-2-1-1), Hingis (6-2-1-3), Navratilova (6-6-12-8) and Sanchez Vicario (2-6-2-2) have all played in singles finals at the four grand slams.
===============================
9.c. 1978-79, when the Australian Open was held in December rather than January. The five consecutive different champions were Chris O'Neil ('78 Australian), Chris Evert-Lloyd ('79 Roland Garros), Martina Navratilova ('79 Wimbledon), Tracy Austin ('79 U.S.) and Barbara Jordan ('79 Australian).
===============================
10.(1 point for each of six correct answers) Gerlova, Voracova,Cetkovska & Sedenkova are Czechs. Bastrikova and Kozhokhina are Russian.
===============================

>>THE SCORING<<

25-35...Venus Williams, circa 2000-02
14-24...Venus Williams, circa 1997-99
3-13...Venus Williams, circa 2003-04
0-2...Venus Williams, after losing a match in 2005

All for now.

2005 1Q Quiz

2005-04-06T16:58:00.000-04:00

==THE QUESTIONS==

1.In the Hopman Cup competition in Perth that began the season, Anastasia Myskina went 3-0 in singles, but the heavily-favored Russian team failed to advance to the final because of partner Marat Safin's less-than-stellar play. What was the Russian team's record in singles and doubles matches in which Safin participated?
a.2-4
b.1-5
c.0-6
==============================
2.Martina Hingis made an abbreviated return to the WTA tour in Pattaya in February, losing a 1st Round match to Marlene Weingartner. When Hingis was last on court nearly three years ago, who defeated her in her final match?
a.Anastasia Myskina
b.Elena Dementieva
c.Nadia Petrova
==============================
3.Who was the last player that Hingis defeated?
a.Conchita Martinez
b.Jelena Dokic
c.Arantxa Sanchez Vicario
==============================
4.CHAMPION WORD SCRAMBLE: Rearrange the letters to get the names of three 2005 WTA singles champions.
a.naa vaovcini
b.aikatrna enrtioksb
c.chtoicna tzainmer
==============================
5.An old Backspin Quiz favorite... it's "Russian/Not a Russian!"
a.Alisa Kleybanova
b.Viktoriya Kutuzova
c.Jarmila Gajdosova
d.Lucie Safarova
e.Maria Arkhipova
f.Maria Babich
==============================
6.Match up each of these 2005 Venus Williams losses with the excuse she gave for it:
a.Amelie Mauresmo
b.Silvia Farina Elia
c.Maria Sharapova
---------------------
1.fatigue/exhaustion
2.blister on palm
3.stomach muscle
==============================
7.DO YOU REMEMBER...?

a.The name of the Belgian sports minister who announced that a drug test had been failed at an offseason exhibition event?

b.Which team won the Argentina/Slovak Republic final at the Hopman Cup?

c.How many match points Maria Sharapova failed to convert in her Australian Open SF against Serena Williams?

d.How many walkover "wins" Samantha Stosur received on her way to the Sydney final?

e.How many 2004 WTA singles champions have so far defended their titles in 2005?
==============================
8.Fourteen Russians were in action in the 1st Round of the Australian Open's main draw. What was their combined record?
a.7-7
b.13-1
c.14-0
==============================
9.In the Canberra final, qualifier Ana Ivanovic defeated "lucky loser" Melinda Czink. If Czink had won, she'd have become the first "LL" to win a WTA title since when?
a.1975
b.1980
c.1985
==============================
10.Name the location of that event.
a.Atlanta, Georgia
b.Ft.Lauderdale, Florida
c.Sacramento, California
==============================
BONUS: If you can name the player who did it, you get 10 big bonus points.

==THE ANSWERS (2 points each unless noted)==

1.c. 0-6. Safin was 0-3 in singles, then went 0-3 in doubles matches teaming with Myskina, as well. The slow start to his season didn't negatively effect him in Melbourne, though. He won his second grand slam title, becoming the only player to defeat Roger Federer in his last 48 matches. Myskina, though, went a mediocre 8-6 in the 1st Quarter.
==============================
2.b. Hingis lost in straight sets to Dementieva in the 2nd Round in Filderstadt in October 2002.
==============================
3.c. Hingis had beaten Sanchez Vicario in the 1st Round.
==============================
4.(2 points for each of three correct answers) 1.Ana Ivanovic (Canberra); 2.Katarina Srebotnik (Auckland); 3.Conchita Martinez (Pattaya).
==============================
5.(2 points for each of six correct answers) The Russians are A(Kleybanova), E(Arkhipova) and F(Babich). Kutuzova in from the Ukraine, Gajdosova is Slovakian and Safarova is a Czech.
==============================
6.(2 points for each of three correct answers) a-3, b-2, c-1. For the record, Venus' fourth '05 1Q loss, to Alicia Molik in Melbourne, was explained away by Williams' noting that if she'd played "5% better" she would have won easily.
==============================
7.(2 points for each of five correct answers) Claude Eerdekens, Argentina,
3, 2, 1.
==============================
8.c. 14-0
==============================
9.b. 1980
==============================
10.a. Atlanta, Georgia
==============================
BONUS: (10 points) Kay McDaniel was the last "lucky loser" WTA champion.

==THE SCORING==

56-40...You have a tennis future like Sharapova's
==============================
39-23...You have a tennis future like Ivanovic's
==============================
22-6...You have a tennis future like Dokic's
==============================
5-0...You have a tennis future like Kournikova's

All for now.

2004 WTA Quiz

2004-11-23T20:19:00.000-05:00

==THE QUESTIONS==

1.The Russian Horde grabbed most of the headlines this season, as three players became the first women from their country to claim grand slam singles titles. Over the course of Russian/Soviet tennis history, though, which woman has the most WTA singles crowns?
a.Anastasia Myskina
b.Olga Morozova
c.Maria Sharapova
d.Natasha Zvereva
==============================
2.Of the players ranked in the season-ending singles Top 20, which climbed the most places since the end of 2003?
a.Alicia Molik
b.Karolina Sprem
c.Svetlana Kuznetsova
d.Maria Sharapova
==============================
3.Russian, Chinese or neither? Match up each of the players listed below with their correct designation:

Ekaterina Kozhokina
Shuai Peng
Yung Jan Chan
Elena Tchalova
Vasilisa Bardina
Chia-Jung Chuang
Lucie Safarova
Nan-Nan Liu
==============================
4."My brother is a former #1 player on the ATP tour, a former grand slam champ and a current Top 5 player. This season, I won a singles title of my own." Who am I?
==============================
5.True/False. Alicia Molik's victory over Maria Sharapova in the Zurich final was uncommon for many reasons. Which of the following statements are true, and which are false?

a.it was the only '04 match that had 3 tie-break sets
b.it's the only pro (ITF/WTA) singles final that Sharapova has ever lost
c.it was the first time Sharapova had lost a set at love
d.it gave Molik her first WTA Tier I title
==============================
6.Eight champions in 2004 were first-time WTA singles titlists. Pick out the ones who fit the description from the list of '04 winners below:

Claudine Schaul
Jelena Jankovic
Martina Sucha
Anabel Medina Garrigues
Nicole Pratt
Elena Likhovtseva
==============================
7.Six Russian women spent time in the singles Top 10 in 2004 (four of them ended the season there). From the list of them below, place them in order from most WTA singles wins to fewest over the course of this past season:

#3 Anastasia Myskina
#4 Maria Sharapova
#5 Svetlana Kuznetsova
#6 Elena Dementieva
#11 Vera Zvonareva
#12 Nadia Petrova
==============================
8.True/False. Emilie Loit won her first two career WTA singles titles in 2004, but managed to actually finish lower in the year-end singles rankings than she did in 2003.
==BONUS==
If true, how many places lower in the rankings did she finish? If false, how many places higher did she finish? (Hint: the answer is in single digits)
==============================
9.From 2000-03, only one player per year managed to defeat both Serena and Venus Williams in the same season. In 2004, despite both missing time with injuries, two players managed to do accomplish the task. Who were they?
a.Lindsay Davenport & Amelie Mauresmo
b.Lindsay Davenport & Anastasia Myskina
c.Lindsay Davenport & Maria Sharapova
==============================
10.Match the Backspin nickname with the player:

a.Penny
b.The Tunisian Tornado
c.The Blue Angel
d.The Czarina
e.The Frussian Pastry
----------------------
1.Anastasia Myskina
2.Emma Laine
3.Tatiana Golovin
4.Marlene Weingartner
5.Salima Sfar

==THE ANSWERS (1 point each unless noted)==

1.a & b. (you only get 1 point, though) This was something of a trick question, but one that benefits you. At the moment, both Myskina and Morozova are tied with nine WTA titles apiece (so either answer is correct). Sharapova is third all-time with seven. Zvereva, while she played for the USSR, is from Belarus, not Russia (but she only won four singles titles, anyway).
==============================
2.b. #18 Sprem climbed 41 places (from #59), more than Kuznetsova (31, from #36 to #5), Sharapova (28, from #32 to #4), and Molik (22, from #35 to #13).
==============================
3.If you said Dinara Safina, you're wrong (Marat Safin fits the ATP player description, but Safina didn't win a title in '04 -- though she was RU in the WTA's Luxembourg event). You're also wrong if you said Michaella Krajicek (she won an ITF title but, of course, brother Richard is retired). The correct answer is 21-year old Jaslyn Hewitt, sister of Lleyton, who won her first ITF title this season in Canberra.
==============================
4.(1 point for each of four correct answers) a and c are false. b and d are true. Sharapova, for the record, is now 7-1 in WTA singles finals, and 3-0 on the ITF circuit.
==============================
5.(1 point for each of eight correct answers) The Russians are Kozhokina, Tchalova and Bardina. Pen and Liu are Chinese. Chan and Chuang are from Chinese Taipei, and Safarova is Czech. All eight won ITF singles titles this year.
==============================
6.(1 point for each of three correct answers) Schaul, Pratt and Jankovic won their first career WTA singles titles this season. Sucha and Medina Garrigues won their second career titles, while Likhovtseva won her third (but first since 1997).
==============================
7.(1 point for each placed in correct position) In order, the Russian WTA wins leaders were Kuznetsova (57), Sharapova (55), Zvonareva (52), Myskina (48) and Dementieva & Petrova (both with 40).
==============================
8.True. Loit won two titles, back-to-back weeks in Casablanca and Estoril, but saw her ranking fall from #41 to #45 from the end of 2003 to the end of 2004.

BONUS (1 additional point): so, the answer is four ranking spots.
==============================
9.c. Davenport defeated Serena twice, and Venus three times in 2004. Sharapova knocked off Serena twice, as well, and Venus once.
==============================
10.(1 point for each of five correct matches) a-2, b-5, c-4, d-1, e-3.

==THE SCORING==

32...a perfect score! Maria Sharapova was ranked #32 at the end of 2003, so it looks like you'll be winning Wimbledon next year. Plan accordingly.
---------------------------
31-21...#27 Tatiana Golovin rose to that position from #345 in 2003, so you'll have to play some tennis in barely-there short-shorts in '05.
---------------------------
20-10...#16 is in this range (that's how many doubles titles Anna Kournikova won in her career). And thus the Quiz's Anna K. quota has now been filled.
---------------------------
under 10...Jelena Dokic use to be a Top 10 player, but now she's #125.

All for now.

2004 3Q Quiz

2004-09-18T20:21:00.000-04:00

==THE QUESTIONS==

1.Svetlana Kuznetsova won the US Open as the #9 seed -- the lowest ever for a women's champion. Who was the lowest-seeded woman prior to 2004 to win the US Open Championship in the Open Era (1968 to now)?
a.Serena Williams in 1999
b.Venus Williams in 1997
c.Gabriela Sabatini in 1990
d.Virginia Wade in 1968
===========================
2.Amelie Mauresmo ended the 3rd Quarter by becoming the fourteenth woman to be ranked #1 on the WTA computer. In doing so, she earned a unique distinction. What is it?
a.she's the only #1 to have never won a grand slam singles title
b.she's the first openly gay female to hold the #1 ranking
c.she's the first #1 who didn't win a WTA title as a teenager
===========================
3.From a US Open postmatch interview of a losing player: "I'm really empty right now. It's too bad it happened here, but it's life... (I had) completely nothing. I didn't want to fight. I didn't want to run. I didn't want to do anything." Which Top 10 player said it?
============================
4.In every year in the 2000s, just one player has managed to defeat both Serena and Venus Williams in the same season. Lindsay Davenport's 4-0 mark against the sisters in the 3rd Quarter completed the 5th "Sister Sweep" this decade. Pick the architects of the previous four de-constructions of the Williams clan:

1.Amelie Mauresmo
2.Kim Clijsters
3.Martina Hingis
4.Justine Henin-Hardenne
5.Lindsay Davenport
6.Meghann Shaughnessy
===========================
BONUS: Davenport defeated both Serena and Venus in the same L.A. event this summer. Name the four previous women to also defeat both sisters in the same event. Hint: all four have been ranked #1 in singles at some point in their careers.
===========================
5.Arantxa Sanchez Vicario participated in the Olympic doubles competition in Athens in August. How many times has she been a member of the Spanish Olympic team?
a.3
b.4
c.5
===========================
6.Justine Henin-Hardenne's singles Gold in Athens leaves her a Wimbledon championship (she was RU in '01) away from becoming only the third player -- male or female -- to win singles crowns at all four grand slams, as well as an Olympic singles Gold. Name the other two players who have done so, and their connection (if you know one of the two players, it's a given that you know their link, too).
===========================
7.Russian...Not a Russian. Which of the players from the following list are Russians, and which aren't?

Eugenia Linetskaya
Lioudmila Skavronskaia
Nina Bratchikova
Ekaterina Makarova
Ivanna Isroilova
Ekaterina Bychkova
Veronika Litvinskaya
Elena Tchalova
===========================
8.The two longest WTA match winning streaks in 2004 have been by Lindsay Davenport (22 matches) and Justine Henin-Hardenne (16). Both streaks were ended by the same player. Who is she?
a.Anastasia Myskina
b.Svetlana Kuznetsova
c.Maria Sharapova
===========================
9.True/False. In recent grand slam finals, we've been witness to all-American, all-Belgian and, now, all-Russian affairs. In the Open Era (1968-04), there has never been an all-nation grand slam women's final other than ones with players from those three countries. (If false, name the specifics about the last time it happened... slam, year, players.)
===========================
10.What was the name of the female chair umpire who notoriously overruled a correct call by a linesperson in the US Open quarterfinal match between Jennifer Capriati and Serena Williams?

==THE ANSWERS (2 points each unless noted)==

1.A...#7-seed Serena Williams' US Open championship in 1999 made her the lowest-seeded woman to win the title in the Open Era before #9 Kuznetsova in 2004. Venus was unseeded in 1997, but she was RU to Martina Hingis. Sabatini was the #5 seed in 1990 (def. Graf), and Wade was #6 in 1968 (def. King).
===========================
2.C...Mauresmo didn't win her first WTA singles title until she was 20 (Bratislava '99). Prior to Mauresmo's ascension to #1, all of the thirteen previous top-ranked woman on the WTA computer had shown early promise in winning their initial WTA titles before turning 18. The oldest eventual #1 when she claimed her first title had been Martina Navratilova, who was 17 years, 11 months old when was won (Orlando '74). Clijsters shares Mauresmo's distinction as the only #1 women without grand slam titles and, of course, Navratilova preceded Mauresmo in publicly coming out of the closet long ago.
===========================
3.Those were the words of Anastasia Myskina following her 2nd Round defeat at the hands of 17-year old Russian qualifier Anna Chakvetadze at the US Open, just weeks after blowing a 5-1 3rd set lead vs. Henin-Hardenne in the Olympic SF (and then losing the Bronze Match to Alicia Molik). Here's a little more of what Myskina said: "When I was here first day, I was still crying about this match against Justine. So it's still in my mind, you know. And when I came here, I was still thinking. But, you know, if you here, you have to think about US Open. Maybe that was my mistake, still thinking about Athens... Right now, I'm still in Athens, I guess." Following her Open disappointment, Myskina nonetheless rose to a career-high singles ranking of #2. Then, in her next match, she was upset again by Maria Elena Camerin in the 2nd Round in Bali.
===========================
4.1,2,3,5. (1 point for each of 4 correct answers) The four previous times in the 2000s that the Williams sisters have both been beaten by the same player in one season were by Davenport (2000), Hingis (2001), Clijsters (2002) and Mauresmo (2003).
===========================
BONUS: (2 points for each of 4 correct answers) The other four players who have defeated both Williams sisters in the same event were Arantxa Sanchez Vicario, Steffi Graf, Martina Hingis and Kim Clijsters (the last to do it -- at the '02 WTA Championships -- before Davenport this year). All five have been #1 in their careers, and four (all but Graf) have been simultaneously #1 in both singles and doubles at some point.
===========================
5.C...ASV has been a member of a record five Spanish Olympic teams, participating in every Olympics since tennis was reinstituted as a medal sport in 1988. She's played in Seoul (1988), Barcelona (1992), Atlanta (1996), Sydney (2000) and Athens (2004). She's won four medals (two silver, two bronze), more than any other Spanish athlete. In 2001, ASV was named to the Spanish Olympic Committee.
===========================
6. (1 point for each of 3 correct answers) The only two players who have won all four slams and an Olympic Gold in singles are Steffi Graf and Andre Agassi. Of course, they're now married, with two children.
===========================
7. (1 point for each of 10 correct answers) Linetskaya, Skavonskaia, Bratchikova, Makarova, Bychkova and Tchalova are Russian. Yakimova is Belarussian, while Isroilova is from Uzbekistan and Litvinskaya from the Ukraine. All the Russians, by the way, have won ITF singles titles in 2004.
===========================
8.B...Svetlana Kuznetsova ended both streaks.
===========================
9.False. (2 points for T/F correct, plus 2 points for each of additional 4 correct answers) It HAS happened with players from a country other than USA/Russia/Belgium, but probably not with the nation you're thinking. If you were guessing Spain with ASV and Conchita Martinez, then you'd be surprisingly wrong (they never met in a slam singles final). Only one other country -- Australia -- has advanced two players to a slam final in the Open Era. In fact, it's happened eight times. Although, the last time there was an all-Aussie battle for a slam it was in December 1977 (2 pts.) at the Australian Open (2 pts.) between Evonne Goolagong (2 pts.) and Helen Gourlay (2 pts.). If you got those four answers right without looking them up, just throw out the rest of the quiz and give yourself a perfect score -- you should be doing your own quiz!
===========================
10.Mariana Alves

==THE SCORING==

"Tennis Genius" = If you got that #9 Question correct without any help (and be honest!)
---------------------------
47-36 = Do you want to be Kuznetsova's doubles partner for '05?
---------------------------
35-24 = You win Dementieva's brightly-colored shorts from Flushing Meadows
---------------------------
23-12 = You're Myskina's sports psychologist for the rest of '04 (good luck)
---------------------------
11-1 = Sharapova's personal towelperson (no wonder you didn't try very hard)
---------------------------
0 = Come on now, did you really not know that Kuznetsova ended Davenport's 22-match streak last week?

Oh, I forgot to keep up the long-running Backspin Quiz tradition. So...

Anna Kournikova.

There, I said it. Now, I can get out of here. All for now.

The (Long-Awaited) Jelena Dokic Quiz

2004-07-15T15:36:00.000-04:00

**THE QUESTIONS**

1.Jelena played in a handful of challenger events in Australia before officially turning pro after winning the US Open junior girls title in September 1998. In October 1998, she made her professional debut in an ITF event in Japan. What was her result?
a.she lost in qualifying
b.she lost in the 1st Round
c.she lost in the Final
d.she won the title
======================
2."She (Jelena) was in 'semi-tank mode.'" Who said it?
======================
3.Jelena has claimed five WTA singles titles in her career, but how many ITF singles titles has she won?
a.0
b.1
c.2
======================
4.What's the highest singles ranking that Jelena has held in her career?
a.#5
b.#4
c.#3
======================
5.Jelena held that high ranking for five weeks that covered two different months. Can you guess the months/year?
======================
6.True/False. From the list of players below, determine whether it's true or false that Jelena defeated the player in a WTA singles final in her career.

Silvia Farina Elia
Anna Kournikova
Amelie Mauresmo
Tatiana Panova
Arantxa Sanchez Vicario
Monica Seles
======================
7.Name the Aussie male that Jelena teamed with to win the 1999 Hopman Cup title in Perth.
a.Patrick Rafter
b.Mark Philippoussis
c.Lleyton Hewitt
d.Todd Woodbridge
======================
8.How many victories over world #1's has Jelena pulled off in her career?
a.2
b.3
c.4
======================
9.Name the then-#1 ranked players that Jelena defeated, the years in which the victories occurred, and where.
======================
10."When I defeated Jelena in the 1st Round of the 2000 Australian Open, she didn't handle the loss very well. I wasn't very highly-ranked at the time -- #92 -- and Jelena was expected to win easily. I guess she was just a frustrated teenager when she spouted off in her post-match press conference that she'd lost to someone who'd 'never been a (good) player, and never will be.' Who am I?"
======================
BONUS: Jelena won't be representing Serbia & Montenegro in the Athens Olympics in a few weeks, so she won't be able to improve on her result from Sydney. What was Jelena's Olympic finish in 2000?

**THE ANSWERS (2 pts unless noted)**

1.C...Jelena won three matches in qualifying, then won four more to advance to the final of the $25k challenger in Saga, Japan. There, she lost to her then-fellow Australian countrywoman Alicia Molik.
======================
2.Chanda Rubin, after easily defeating a distracted Jelena in the SF of Los Angeles in 2002.
======================
3.A...Jelena has never won an ITF singles title, and has only played in a handful of ITF events during her career as she's generally focused on WTA tour events. As noted in Question #1, though, she was RU in Saga in October 1998.
======================
4.B...Jelena's career high in singles is #4.
======================
5.(3 points) She held the #4 ranking for five weeks in 2002, from August 19 until September 22.
======================
6.(2 points for each of the six correct answers) Farina Elia/False (Strasbourg 2002), Mauresmo/True (Rome 2001), Panova/True (Sarasota 2002), Sanchez Vicario/True (Tokyo Princess Cup 2001), Seles/False (Bahia 2001). As for Kournikova, Jelena did defeat her in a singles final in Hong Kong in 2001, but it was an exhibition event, so the answer for her is False. But since it was a trick question, give yourself 1 point if you said True.
======================
7.B...the Australian team of Jelena and Mark Philippoussis defeated Sweden (Asa Carlsson & Jonas Bjorkman) 2-1 in the Hopman final.
======================
8.A...Jelena has twice defeated world #1's.
======================
9.(2 points for each of the six correct answers) The wins were over Martina Hingis at Wimbledon in 1999, and Kim Clijsters in 2003 at Zurich. Jelena's other matches against world #1's included two more with Hingis (0-2), two versus Serena Williams (0-2) and one against Jennifer Capriati (0-1).
======================
10.She's Rita Kuti Kis.
======================
BONUS (3 points): Jelena finished in 4th place in Sydney. She lost a tight three-setter to eventual Silver Medalist Elena Dementieva in the SF, then lost the Bronze Medal Match to Monica Seles.

**THE SCORING**
44-31...Jelena in 2001
30-22...Jelena in 2002
21-11...Jelena in 2003
10-1....Jelena in 2004

All for now.

2004 2Q Quiz

2004-07-14T20:22:00.000-04:00

...the latest edition of the Backspin Quiz, with a special emphasis on the just completed 2nd Quarter.

==THE QUESTIONS==

1.Maria Sharapova, at 17, is the youngest WTA singles champion of 2004 (actually, she's the youngest AND second youngest after wins in both Birmingham & Wimbledon). Who's the youngest non-Supernova to walk away with a title?
a.Jelena Jankovic
b.Svetlana Kuznetsova
c.Vera Zvonareva
d.Claudine Schaul
======================
2.In May, Amelie Mauresmo became the third woman to win back-to-back Berlin and Rome Tier I titles in the same season. Who were the other two to accomplish the feat?
a.Steffi Graf & Martina Hingis
b.Steffi Graf & Arantxa Sanchez Vicario
c.Steffi Graf & Monica Seles
======================
3.What significant grand slam accomplishment did the two other players who won Berlin & Rome prior to Mauresmo also share in the seasons they pulled off the back-to-back Tier I feat? (no choices here, but you get an extra point if you get it right)
======================
4.Not surprisingly, over the last three seasons (2002-04) the players with the most WTA singles titles are Kim Clijsters (15), Justine Henin-Hardenne (14), Serena Williams (13) and Venus Williams (10). After the big four, two players are tied with seven singles championships. Can you name the pair?
a.Anastasia Myskina & Anna Smashnova-Pistolesi
b.Anastasia Myskina & Amelie Mauresmo
c.Amelie Mauresmo & Lindsay Davenport
======================
5.In Charleston, Conchita Martinez became the seventh woman to record 700 career match victories. Can you pick the other six players from the following list?

Martina Navratilova..Chris Evert
Lindsay Davenport....Margaret Court
Evonne Goolagong.....Steffi Graf
Arantxa Sanchez-V....Virginia Wade
======================
6.Four different Russian woman have combined for six singles titles on the WTA tour so far this season. Many more have won titles on the ITF circuit in 2004, too. But do you know which player has won the most titles there this year?
a.Vera Douchevina
b.Maria Kirilenko
c.Anna Tchakvetadze
d.Anastassia Rodionova
======================
7.Let's see how quickly you forget. What was the name of the Wimbledon chair umpire who made the mistake of awarding Karolina Sprem an additional point during the 2nd set tie-break of her 2nd Round match against Venus Williams?
======================
8.During the 3rd Quarter, Justine Henin-Hardenne will return to action. In addition to defending her US Open title, she'll also be attempting to extend her Tier I tournament match winning streak. What's her current winning streak in such events?
a.18
b.22
c.26
======================
9.The Russian Revolution officially moved into grand slam territory in the 2Q, with two members of the Horde claiming the first slam singles titles by Russian women. Can you match the following Russians with their Backspin nicknames?
a.The Czarina
b.Elle Dolce
c.v2.0
d.Punch-Sober
e.The Supernova
------------------
1.Douchevina
2.Kirilenko
3.Sharapova
4.Dementieva
5.Myskina
======================
10.Martina Navratilova played seven WTA tour singles matches in the 2Q, against six different players. Martina's age is 47. Can you pick a two-player combination from her 2004 opponents list (below) whose current ages total a number within two years (45-49) of Martina's age?

Catalina Castano
Gisela Dulko
Amy Frazier
Elena Likhovtseva
Mara Santangelo
Milagros Sequera

==THE ANSWERS (2 pts. for each unless noted)==

1.B...Kuznetsova was just a week away from her 19th birthday when she won Eastbourne days before the start of Wimbledon. Jankovic (19 years, 2 months, 1 week) is the youngest non-Russian with a title, winning her first career WTA crown in Budapest in May.
======================
2.C...Graf (1987) and Seles (1990) were the only other two players to win Berlin and Rome in back-to-back weeks before Mauresmo did it this year.
======================
3.(3 points) Both Graf and Seles went on to take the Roland Garros crown those years. Mauresmo, though, only advanced to the QF in 2004.
======================
4.A...Myskina and Smashnova-Pistolesi both have won seven titles over the last two and a half seasons. Mauresmo has won six. The eighth-highest number of titles over the span is Maria Sharapova's four.
======================
5.(1 point for each correct) The six are Navratilova (1442), Evert (1304), Graf(900), Wade(839), Sanchez Vicario(759) and Goolagong(704). Court had 593, and Davenport was at 605 at the end of the 2nd Quarter.
======================
6.D...Rodionova is the only Russian with two ITF titles (Stockholm & Vaduz) at the end of the 2Q. Kirilenko and Tchakvetadze both have one. Douchevina has yet to play an ITF challenger event this year.
======================
7.Ted Watts
======================
8.C...JHH has won 26 straight Tier I singles matches.
======================
9.(1 point for each correct match) a-5 (Myskina/Czarina), b-1 (Douchevina/Elle Dolce), c-2 (Kirilenko/Maria v2.0), d-4 (Dementieva/Punch-Sober), e-3 (Sharapova/Supernova)
======================
10.(5-points for perfect answer)
Dulko, 19/Likhovtseva, 28 = 47.
(2-points for within 2 years) Castano, 25/Santangelo, 23 = 48, Castano, 25/Sequera, 23 = 48, Sequera, 23/Santangelo, 23 = 46. If you picked Frazier, 31/Dulko, 19 = 50, or Castano, 25/Dulko, 19 = 44 you get 0 points because you didn't get within two years of Martina's age.

==THE SCORING==

31-21...Supernova at Wimbledon
20-10...Czarina at Roland Garros
9-1.....Punch-Sober as Punch-Drunk
0.......Kournikova in 2004

2004 1Q Quiz

2004-03-31T20:23:00.000-05:00

...the WTA's 1st Quarter might not quite be over, but that doesn't mean there can't be a Backspin Quiz -- the first of 2004 -- that focuses on it.

==THE QUESTIONS==

1.Justine Henin-Hardenne's Australian Open championship means she's won three of the last four slam titles (a .750 percentage). Who was the last non-Williams to pull off a .700 or better title feat over the span of four-plus slams?
a.Martina Hingis
b.Steffi Graf
c.Jennifer Capriati
------------------------------
2."It gave me goosebumps on my face." Who said it?
a.Anastasia Myskina
b.Tatiana Golovin
c.Kim Clijsters
------------------------------
3.Which of these 2004 WTA singles titleists have won at least one crown in each of the past three seasons? Pick any number of players.

a.Lindsay Davenport
b.Fabiola Zuluaga
c.Paola Suarez
d.Eleni Daniilidou
e.Anastasia Myskina
f.Ai Sugiyama
------------------------------
4."I'm a 14-year old from the Czech Republic. In January, I was the runner-up in the Australian Open Girls junior competition. I debuted in the singles rankings on March 1, just before playing in my first career WTA event in Acapulco, where I defeated a 2004 singles finalist in the 1st Round and followed it up with an upset of the tournament's #2 seed to advance to the quarterfinals." Who am I?
a.Jarmila Gajdosova
b.Nicole Vaidisova
c.Barbora Strycova
------------------------------
5.True/False. There have been more WTA singles finalists over the age of 30 in the 1st Quarter than there have been teenage finalists.
------------------------------
6.Three players simultaneously appeared in the Top 10 in both singles and doubles during the 1st Quarter. Which three?
a.Clijsters,Davenport,Sugiyama
b.Clijsters,Davenport,Dementieva
c.Clijsters,Sugiyama,Dementieva
------------------------------
7.Of the sixteen pre-Miami singles champions in the 1st Quarter, who had the lowest singles ranking at the time of the title?
a.Amy Frazier
b.Nicole Pratt
c.Iveta Benesova
d.Fabiola Zuluaga
------------------------------
8.Kim Clijsters won her 20th and 21st WTA career singles titles during the 1st Quarter. Pick out the five other active players with 20 or more WTA singles titles.
a.Monica Seles
b.Serena Williams
c.Mary Pierce
d.Amelie Mauresmo
e.Jennifer Capriati
f.Amanda Coetzer
g.Venus Williams
h.Lindsay Davenport
i.Conchita Martinez
j.Justine Henin-Hardenne
------------------------------
9.Justine Henin-Hardenne's title at Indian Wells was the sixth Tier I crown of her career. How many consecutive Tier I matches has JHH now won?
a.13
b.19
c.26
------------------------------
10.Match the player with her "WTA Backspin" 2004 nickname:

a.Kim Clijsters
b.Emma Laine
c.Selima Sfar
d.Anastasia Myskina
e.Tatiana Golovin
||||||||||||||||||||||
1.The (Near) Great
2.The Frussian Pasty
3.The Tunisian Tornado
4.Penny
5.FilaKim

==THE ANSWERS (2 points each unless noted)==

1.A. Hingis was the last to put together such a .700+ slam title stretch, winning 4 of 5 slams (.800) from the '97 Australian to the '98 Australian. Her only slam loss, preventing a true Grand Slam, was in the '97 Roland Garros final against Iva Majoli. Capriati won 3 of 5 (.600) in 2001-02, while Graf won 6 of 7 (.857) in 1995-96. As for the Williams sisters, Serena won 5 of 6 in 2002-03, while Venus took 4 of 6 in 2000-01.
------------------------------
2.C. Kim Clijsters, after winning the title in Antwerp. It was her first WTA crown in her home country of Belgium.
------------------------------
3.B,D,E. (1 point for each of the 3 correct answers) Only three of the six listed have now won titles in each of the past three seasons (2002-04): Zuluaga, Daniilidou & Myskina.
------------------------------
4.B. She's 14-year old Nicole Vaidisova (who turns 15 in April). She made that successful 1Q WTA debut in Acapulco, defeating Lubomira Kurhajcova (RU in Bogota the previous week) 6-6/ret. in the 1st Round, then upsetting #2-seed Shinobu Asagoe (then-#48 in the world). It wasn't Vaidisova's first success in a pro event, though. She'd won two of the three ITF events she'd enterered in 2003-04.
------------------------------
5.False. Despite the overwhelmingly higher number of teens on tour than 30-year olds, the 1st Quarter has seen an equal number of finalists (5) from each age group. The teen finalists have been Ashley Harkleroad (Auckland), Vera Zvonareva (Memphis), Maria Kirilenko (Hyderabad) and Svetlana Kuznetsova (Dubai & Doha); while the over-30's have been Amy Frazier (Hobart), Silvia Farina Elia (Canberra & Antwerp), Lisa Raymond (Memphis) & Nicole Pratt (Hyderabad). As far as winners, there have been two 30+ champs (Frazier & Pratt) compared to just one teen (Zvonareva).
------------------------------
6.A. Clijsters, Davenport and Sugiyama are the only three players to rank in the Top 10 in singles and doubles simultaneously during the Quarter. Clijsters and Sugiyama have appeared in both every week so far, while Davenport only fell out of the Doubles Top 10 before the final 1Q event in Miami.
------------------------------
7.C. Benesova's first career title (in Acapulco) came when she was #99 in the WTA singles rankings. Frazier was #60 in Hobart, Pratt #59 in Hyderabad and Zuluaga #25 in Bogota.
------------------------------
8.A,B,G,H,I. (1 point for each of the 5 correct answers) Seles (53), Davenport (39), Martinez (32), Venus (29) and Serena (23) are the others with 20 or more titles. The highest of the other five listed are Henin-Hardenne (18), Pierce (15) and Capriati (14). Of course, this list doesn't include still-active doubles specialist Martina Navratilova, who has a record 167.
------------------------------
9.C. JHH has won 26 straight Tier I matches, a string of five tournaments. The last time she lost in a Tier I event was to Chanda Rubin in the Miami QF in March 2003. Over her last 30 Tier I matches, she's gone 29-1. The only Tier I title she's won more than once has been Berlin (2002-03).
------------------------------
10.a-5,b-4,c-3,d-1,e-2. (1 point for each correct match)

==THE SCORING==

27-20 - Like Queen Justine, you're impeccable under pressure
------------------------------
19-12 - Like Kuznetsova, you're someone to keep a wary eye on
------------------------------
11-6 - Like Wonder Girl & the Debutante, questions are endless
------------------------------
5 or less - Like Kournikova, you've been AWOL all season (and the Anna/Backspin Quiz streak continues!)

2003 WTA Quiz

2003-12-16T20:26:00.000-05:00

...the end of 2003 is the beginning of 2004. While you ponder that little riddle, here's the final Backspin quiz of the year. It's focus: the entire past season on the WTA Tour.

==THE QUESTIONS==

1.Serena Williams, Kim Clijsters and Justine Henin-Hardenne all spent time as the singles #1 during the past twelve months. Which one won her first title in her debut WTA performance?
----------------------------------
BONUS- True/False. The occurrence of these three women holding the #1 position in singles during the same season matched a WTA record for the most different top-ranked women during a calendar year.
----------------------------------
2.WHO SAID IT? - "I don't think it's really important to be the babe of tennis. I'm there to play tennis. That's my #1 priority. To be the babe, that's like the last thing on my mind."
a.Jelena Dokic
b.Anna Kournikova
c.Daniela Hantuchova
d.Maria Sharapova
----------------------------------
3.16-year old Maria Sharapova was the youngest WTA titleist of 2003, but who was the youngest non-Russian to win a singles title this past season?
a.Arantxa Parra
b.Kim Clijsters
c.Marion Bartoli
d.Meghann Shaughnessy
----------------------------------
4.There were three 30-something WTA singles champions in 2003. Who was the oldest?
a.Conchita Martinez
b.Silvia Farina Elia
c.Amanda Coetzer
----------------------------------
5.True/False. This season, when Kim Clijsters won the Luxembourg title, she became the only active player with a current three-year title streak (2001-03) at the same event.
----------------------------------
6.Which player ranked in the Top 20 at the end of the 2003 season rose from the lowest ranking one year ago?
a.Nadia Petrova
b.Conchita Martinez
c.Francesca Schiavone
----------------------------------
7.Who has won at least one WTA singles title for the most consecutive seasons, the longest current streak by an active player?
a.Serena Williams
b.Kim Clijsters
c.Amelie Mauresmo
d.Venus Williams
e.Jennifer Capriati
----------------------------------
8.WHO AM I? - "I'm a former Top 5 player who had back-to-back multiple WTA title-winning seasons in 2001-02. In 2003, though, I failed to win a crown of any kind, and was the only player ranked in the Top 50 in singles whose won/lost record in WTA events was two or more wins below .500."
a.Iva Majoli
b.Conchita Martinez
c.Jelena Dokic
d.Daniela Hantuchova
----------------------------------
9.True/False. Maria Sharapova won WTA titles in Tokyo and Quebec City, as well as an ITF Challenger title in Sea Island, making her the only player to win at least singles crown on both tours in 2003.
----------------------------------
10.Of the players ranked in the Top 20 at the end of the 2002 season, which one had fallen the most ranking spots at the end of the 2003 season?
a.Monica Seles
b.Alexandra Stevenson
c.Lisa Raymond
----------------------------------
BONUS- Okay, for the final bonus question of 2003, we'll see how closely you were paying attention. Match the player with the Backspin nickname by which she was referred during this season's columns:

a.The Blue Angel...1.J.Dokic
b.Wonder Girl......2.M.Shaughnessy
c.Shillelagh.......3.M.Sharapova
d.Easy-Bake........4.D.Hantuchova
e.Punch-Sober......5.K.Clijsters
f.Compton Sequel...6.V.Douchevina
g.The Debutante....7.E.Dementieva
h.Elle Dolce.......8.A.Hayes
i.Supernova........9.M.Weingartner
j.Le Petit Taureau.10.J.Henin-H.
k.The Natural......11.C.Gullickson
l.Punch-Drunk......12.E.Dementieva

==THE ANSWERS (1 pt. for each unless noted)==

1.Justine Henin-Hardenne. In Antwerp, Belgium in May 1999, 16-year old Henin made her debut on the WTA Tour, winning her first of 14 career singles titles by defeating Sarah Pitkowski in the final. JHH is one of just six (Petra Langrova in '88, Mirjana Lucic in '97, Katerina Srebotnik in '99 and Angelique Widjaja in '01 also did it) players to perform the feat in her debut event, and only the second (joining Tracy Austin in '77) of the thirteen who have held the #1 ranking to do so.
----------------------------------
BONUS- False. In 2002, a record four women (Davenport, Capriati, V.Williams & S.Williams) held the #1 position during the calendar year. Besides 2003, three different #1's in the same season has occurred three other times, in 1980 (Navratilova-Austin-Evert), 1995 (Graf-Sanchez Vicario-Seles) and 2001 (Hingis-Capriati-Davenport).
----------------------------------
2.D. Maria Sharapova
----------------------------------
3.B. Surprisingly, Kim Clijsters was the youngest non-Russian to win a WTA tour singles title in 2003. She was just 19 years, 7 months old when she claimed the Sydney crown in January. By the end of the year, she was still the second-youngest player ranked in the Top 20 (behind 18-year old world #13 Vera Zvonareva). By the way, after Russian Sharapova, the next two youngest titleists were Russians Dinara Safina (17) and Zvonareva.
----------------------------------
4.C. Coetzer (at 31 years, 4 months, 1 week) was the oldest champion last season, winning Acapulco in February. Farina Elia was five weeks younger than Coetzer when she won Strasbourg in May. The other 30-plus winner was Virginia Ruano-Pascual, 30, in Tashkent. World #18 Martinez was the only over-30 player ranked in the Top 20, but she failed to win a title last season.
----------------------------------
5.False. Silvia Farina Elia has won the Strasbourg title from 2001-03.
----------------------------------
6.A. #12 Petrova was ranked #111 at the end of the 2002 season, although her injury-protected ranked was #29 for seeding purposes after she missed seven months (February-August '02) with a foot injury.
----------------------------------
7.D. Venus Williams' title in Antwerp in February extended her seasons streak with at least one WTA title to six, the longest amongst active players. The rest listed (S.Williams, Clijsters, Mauresmo & Capriati) all currently sport five-season streaks. The next-longest active streak is three seasons, by world #1 Justine Henin-Hardenne.
----------------------------------
8.C. Jelena Dokic finished 28-30 in 2003, but still managed to be ranked #15 at the end of the season. The only other players in the Top 50 with sub-.500 marks in WTA events were #41 Emilie Loit (25-26) and #46 Laura Granville (25-26). The highest-ranked player who finished more wins below .500 than Dokic was #53 Nicole Pratt (21-25).
----------------------------------
9.False. In the final week of the just past WTA season, Henrieta Nagyova won the Pattaya City title, the eighth WTA crown of her career. Earlier, she'd won the ITF Challenger in Biella.
----------------------------------
10.B. Stevenson, who tumbled from #18 to #82, fell 64 spots over the past year while compiling a 13-27 singles record. Seles fell 53, from #7 to #60 after missing most of the season with a foot injury.
----------------------------------
BONUS- (half-point for each correct answer) a-9, b-4, c-2, d-5, e-7 or 12, f-8, g-1, h-6, i-3, j-10, k-11, l-7 or 12

==THE SCORING==

17-15...Justine Henin-Hardenne (a career year for you, too!)
----------------------------------
14-10...Kim Clijsters (a super season, but still not quite good enough)
----------------------------------
9-6...Serena Williams (too bad you didn't answer ALL the questions)
----------------------------------
5-0...Anna Kournikova (because it's a rule that she must appear at least once in every Backspin quiz until the end of time)

2003 3Q Quiz

2003-09-29T20:28:00.000-04:00

...the 2003 3rd Quarter ended with Justine Henin-Hardenne staking her claim as the best player in the women's game via her victory over Kim Clijsters in the U.S. Open final. So, now it's time to see how closely you were paying attention between Wimbledon and Flushing Meadows.

==THE QUESTIONS==

1.Justine Henin-Hardenne's U.S. Open title gave her a second career grand slam singles title, as well as her second slam crown of 2003. Who was the last woman to claim her first two career slam titles in the same calendar year?
a.Jennifer Capriati in 2001
b.Venus Williams in 2000
c.Martina Hingis in 1997
--------------------------------
2.Immediately following her rise to the #1 position in the singles rankings, Kim Clijsters lost to Lina Krasnoroutskaya in the 3rd Round in Toronto. Previous to that, when was the last time she'd failed to advance to at least the SF of a WTA event?
a.January 2003 in Sydney
b.September 2002 at U.S. Open
c.October 2002 in Zurich
-------------------------------
3.A 3rd Quarter singles titleist became the youngest champion of the 2003 season, matching the feat she accomplished last year as the youngest title winner of 2002. Who is she?
a.Angelique Widjaja
b.Dinara Safina
c.Svetlana Kuznetsova
------------------------------
4.Since the WTA doubles rankings were instituted in 1984, nineteen players have held the #1 position. Two rose to that status for the first time in their careers during the 3rd Quarter. Kim Clijsters was one. Who was the other?
a.Virginia Ruano-Pascual
b.Paola Suarez
c.Ai Sugiyama
------------------------------
5.With the two new additions listed above, ten active players have at one time or another been ranked #1 in doubles. From the list below, pick out four who have held the #1 spot:

Corina Morariu
Conchita Martinez
Els Callens
Anna Kournikova
Martina Navratilova
Rennae Stubbs
------------------------------
6.Two players who have advanced to a grand slam semifinal or better in 1997 saw their singles rankings fall completely out of the Top 100 as the 3rd Quarter concluded. Who are they?
a.Iva Majoli & Clarisa Fernandez
b.Anna Kournikova & Martina Hingis
c.Iva Majoli & Anna Kournikova
------------------------------
7.Who was the youngest player to win a WTA main draw singles match during the 3rd Quarter?
a.Maria Sharapova
b.Victoriya Kutuzova
c.Carly Gullickson
d.Barbora Strycova
------------------------------
8.Here's a Backspin quarterly quiz regular: As the 3rd Quarter ended, who was the highest-ranked Top 100 player whose ranking at the start of the Quarter found her outside the Top 100?
a.Melinda Czink
b.Arantxa Parra
c.Maria Vento-Kabchi
-----------------------------
9.True/False. Justine Henin-Hardenne has two career grand slam singles titles to Kim Clijsters' zero. In their junior days, Henin-Hardenne also won more grand slam girls titles than Clijsters.
-----------------------------
10.Jennifer Capriati's title in New Haven was her first in nineteen months, but it meant that she's in a select group of players who have won at least one WTA singles crown in each year of the 2000s. From the list below, pick out four other players who have also won titles in each of the past four seasons:

Serena Williams
Venus Williams
Chanda Rubin
Kim Clijsters
Lindsay Davenport
Justine Henin-Hardenne
Amelie Mauresmo
Amanda Coetzer

==THE ANSWERS (1 point each unless noted)==

1.A... Capriati won both of the first two slam titles of her career (Australian, Roland Garros) during the 2001 season. Along with Henin-Hardenne (2003) and Capriati, the only other players to accomplish the feat since the Open era began in 1970 have been Venus Williams (2000), Martina Hingis (1997, the only one to win her first three in a single calendar year), Chris Evert (1974) and Evonne Goolagong (1971).
-----------------------------
2.C... the last time Clijsters had failed to reach at least the SF was in October 2002 in Zurich, where she lost in the QF to Lindsay Davenport. Her SF-or-better streak covered sixteen WTA events.
------------------------------
3.B... Safina won her 2003 Palermo title at the age of 17 years, 2 months and 2 weeks, making her the youngest singles champion so far this season. In 2002, she was the youngest singles champ when she won the Sopot title at age 16 years, 3 months.
------------------------------
4.A... following Clijsters' rise to #1, it was Ruano-Pascual who became the the WTA's nineteenth doubles #1 this past quarter. Her "reign" only last one week, though.
------------------------------
5. (1 point for each of the four correctly identified) Morariu, Kournikova, Stubbs and Navratilova have all been ranked #1 in doubles during their careers. The six other active players who have been #1 in doubles are Clijsters, Ruano-Pascual, Suarez, Sugiyama, Davenport and Raymond. As things stood at the end of the 3rd Quarter, seven of the ten players were still ranked in the WTA's doubles Top 10. Only Kournikova, Stubbs and Morariu were outside the Top 10.
-------------------------------
6.C... Majoli, the 1997 Roland Garros champion, and Kournikova, a semifinalist at Wimbledon in 1997 (her debut at SW19), both saw their singles rankings fall out of the Top 100.
-------------------------------
7.B... Ukrainian-born Victoriya Kutuzova, 14 (two weeks shy of her 15th birthday), defeated Lina Krasnoroutskaya in the 1st Round in Los Angeles (Carson) in her WTA main draw debut. Of note, the next week Krasnoroutskaya rebounded by upsetting new world #1 Kim Clijsters in Toronto.
------------------------------
8.C... #72 Vento-Kabchi was the highest-ranked Top 100 newcomer at the end of the 3rd Quarter.
------------------------------
9.False... Neither Henin-Hardenne nor Clijsters ever won a grand slam girls singles title. Only Clijsters ever even made it to a final, losing to Katarina Srebotnik in the 1998 Wimbledon Girls Final. She did win the Roland Garros Girls Doubles (with Jelena Dokic) and US Open Girls Doubles (with Eva Dyrberg) titles in 1998. Actually, fellow Belgian Kirsten Flipkens has more grand slam girls singles titles than the Belgian-born current #1 & #2 players combined, having won both the Wimbledon and U.S. Open girls titles this summer.
------------------------------
10. (1 point for each of the four correctly identified) S.Williams, V.Williams, Clijsters and Mauresmo are the only players other than Capriati who have won at least one singles title in each season from 2000-03. Three others (Henin-Hardenne, Farina Elia & Maleeva) have won at least one title in every season from 2001-03.

==SCORING==

16 -- You still haven't accomplished enough to challenge Kim's claim on #1... but you're getting close
-------------------------------
15-10 -- This is YOUR battle with painful cramps... such it up like Henin-Hardenne and next time you'll reach the top, too.
-------------------------------
9-5 -- Like Kirsten Flipkens, you're a "Waffle-in-Training"
------------------------------
0-4 -- Leo Clijsters won't have reason to challenge YOUR integrity

The 1980s Quiz

2003-08-15T20:31:00.004-04:00

...well, the 1980s Quiz is here. Hope you know everything there is to know about breakdancing and the fall of the Berlin Wall... it'll give you
something to think about other than tennis.

==THE QUESTIONS==
1.From the list below, pick out all of the things that actually happened during the 1980s:

1.Martina Navratilova won six consecutive slam singles titles, but didn't accomplish a calendar-year "grand slam"
2.Chris Evert & John McEnroe won a US Open Mixed Doubles title
3.Steffi Graf won a grand slam doubles title
4.Tracy Austin won a Wimbledon Mixed Doubles title with her brother
5.Martina Navratilova & Pam Shriver completed a single season "Grand Slam"
in doubles
============================
2.Serena Williams failed in her stated bid for an undefeated season in 2003. By percentage, assuming at least 50 matches won with fewer than 10 losses, the Top 7 seasons in WTA history were all accomplished by either Martina Navratilova or Steffi Graf during the 1980s. Who had the "best" single season?
A.Graf in 1989
B.Navratilova in 1984
C.Graf in 1988
D.Navratilova in 1983
============================
3.The three youngest players to win $1 million (US) were a trio of 16-year olds in the 1990s -- Martina Hingis, Jennifer Capriati and Monica Seles. Who was the youngest to do so in the 1980s?
A.Andrea Jaeger
B.Steffi Graf
C.Tracy Austin
============================
4."Everyone complains about the Williams sisters hogging the grand slam titles these days, but most seem to have forgotten that 32 of the 39 grand slams contested during the 1980s were won by just three players -- Martina Navratilova, Chris Evert and Steffi Graf. Of the seven other slams played during the decade, I won four of them -- more than any other player besides the Big 3. Who am I?"
A.Hana Mandlikova
B.Tracy Austin
C.Evonne Goolagong
D.Helena Sukova
============================
5.Before the Russian Horde started to devise the plan for the expected future overthrow of the WTA a few years from now, the final years of the Soviet Union DID produce a few prominant female tennis stars in the late 1980s. In fact, two of them finished seasons ranked in the Top 10 in prize money during the decade. Who were they?
A.Natasha Zvereva & Elena Likhovtseva
B.Larisa Savchenko & Natasha Zvereva
C.Elena Likhovtseva & Larisa Savchenko
============================
6.Which rookie (*) earned the most money in a WTA season during the 1980s? (*)-defined as having played at least 8 WTA events in a season for the first time
A.Tracy Austin in 1980
B.Steffi Graf in 1984
C.Monica Seles in 1989
D.Arantxa Sanchez in 1989
============================
7.Serena Williams' winning streak to start the 2003 season was ended at 21. The all-time record for consecutive wins to begin a season was set during the 1980s? Who holds the record?
A.Martina Navratilova in 1983
B.Steffi Graf in 1987
C.Chris Evert in 1981
============================
8.In 2003, Kim Clijsters and Justine Henin-Hardenne are the only remaining players with a chance (though slim to no, in reality) to accomplish the rare "90/9" feat -- playing 90 matches in a season while losing no more than 9 times. The feat has been accomplished eight times, with three of the seasons coming during the 1980s. Martina Navratilova did it twice, in 1982 & 1986. Who was the other player to pull it off during the decade?
A.Steffi Graf in 1988
B.Chris Evert in 1981
C.Tracy Austin in 1980
============================
9.From the list below, choose all the players active in WTA singles at some point during 2002-03 who played in a Tour singles final in 1989:
M.Navratilova....Amy Frazier
Monica Seles.....Conchita Martinez
Nicole Pratt.....S.Farina Elia
Natasha Zvereva..A.Sanchez Vicario
Amanda Coetzer...Rachel McQuillan
============================
10.True/False. Of the 12 women who have held the WTA's #1 singles ranking, no one has ever done so without first having won a WTA singles title before she turned 18.
----------------------------
**BONUS**
IF #10 TRUE: Which three of the 12 were the oldest when they claimed their first WTA title?

IF #10 FALSE: Which three failed to win their first WTA title before turned
18?
--[answer the same for both]--
A.Navratilova,V.Williams,S.Williams
B.V.Williams,Navratilova,Evert
C.Evert,Navratilova,Clijsters

==THE ANSWERS (1 point each unless noted)==
1.1,3,4 & 5. (1 point for each of the four correct) All happened during the 1980s except for the Evert/McEnroe Mixed Doubles title. Navratilova won six straight slam titles in 1983-84, but failed to win all four in a single season (and no one thought to give Martina's remarkable feat a cool nickname like "The Serena Slam," either). Graf won her only career slam doubles title at the 1988 Wimbledon with Gabriela Sabatini. Austin and her brother John won the 1980 Wimbledon Mixed Doubles title. Navratilova/Shriver completed the Doubles "Grand Slam" in 1984 (and also won the crown at the WTA Championships).
============================
2.D. Navratilova's 86-1 (.989 winning pct.) season came in 1983. #2 on the all-time list is Graf's 86-2 (.977) season in 1989. Graf's 1988 "Golden Slam" season (all four slams plus the Olympic Gold Medal) produced the #7 best year (72-3, .960).
============================
3.A. In 1982, Jaeger became the decade's youngest to reach $1 million in career earnings at 17 years, 5 months, 17 days. Austin did so in 1980, at 17 years, 7 months, 8 days.
============================
4.A. She's Czech-born Hall of Famer Mandlikova, who won the 1980 & '87 Australian, 1981 Roland Garros and 1985 US Open... but was never able to complete a career grand slam by winning Wimbledon (though she advanced to two finals). The other three unclaimed slam titles in the 1980s went to Goolagong ('80 Wimbledon), Austin ('81 US) and Arantxa Sanchez ('89 RG). Of note, Mandlikova lost four grand slam finals to either Navratilova ('86 Wimbledon) or Evert ('81 Wimbledon, '80 & '82 US). She did defeat Navratilova in the 1987 Australian final, and had her career-best moment in 1985 when she defeated Evert in the SF and then Navratilova in the final of the US Open. Mandlikova made a name for herself as a coach in the 1990s, guiding the often star-crossed career of fellow Czech-born Jana Novotna. In 1998, Novotna finally claimed the elusive Wimbledon title that had eluded Mandlikova as a player. Afterward, Novotna dedicated her victory to her coach.
============================
5.B. Ukrainian Savchenko (later Neiland), who won two WTA singles titles in her career, was predominantly a doubles specialist, briefly rising to #1 in 1992. In 1989, she finished #10 on the season's money list. Belarussian Zvereva was #8 on the prize money list in 1988, the year she lost the Roland Garros final to Steffi Graf (0-6,0-6) and stirred up controversy when she refused to turn over her winnings to the Soviet tennis establishment. Zvereva turned out to be the forerunner of the Soviet-turned-Russian coming tide years before the name of Kournikova was uttered around the tennis world, rising to a career-high of #5 in singles in 1989, and #1 in doubles in 1991 (a position she held as recently as August 1999). She made the Wimbledon SF in 1998, but her tendency to crack under pressure in big singles matches meant she only won four WTA singles titles in her career. She did win 82 doubles titles, though, with 20 of them coming at grand slams. At the beginning of the 2003 season, she ranked #13 on the all-time WTA money leaders list. Neiland, by comparison, stood as #26.
=============================
6.C. Seles earned the most money in her rookie season of 1989 with $239,361 (US). The all-time "best" rookie year was by Venus Williams in 1997, when she earned $466,863.
=============================
7.B. Graf started the 1987 season 45-0. Navratilova was 36-0 in 1983, while Evert was 33-0 in 1981.
=============================
8.C. Austin played 96 matches in 1980, going 88-8. The other five times the "90/9" feat has been accomplished were by Chris Evert (1974 & '75) and Margaret Court (1969, 1970 & '73). Only Court (all three times) and Evert (in '74) lost no more than 9 times while playing over 100 matches.
============================
9.(add 1 point for each of the 7 correct answers) Navratilova, Seles, Sanchez Vicario, Martinez and Frazier all won WTA singles titles in 1989. Zvereva and McQuillan played in and lost finals that season.
============================
10.True. Since the computer rankings were instituted in November 1975, an odd prerequisite for the #1 honor has been established as all 12 women who've held the spot won a WTA singles title before they turned 18. Tracy Austin (the youngest-ever WTA titleist) and Jennifer Capriati won their first at 14. Monica Seles and Martina Hingis were 15. Chris Evert, Steffi Graf, Lindsay Davenport, Arantxa Sanchez Vicario and Kim Clijsters were 16. Martina Navratilova and Venus & Serena Williams were 17. For anyone looking forward to possibly a 13th #1 woman later this year, it should be noted that Justine Henin-Hardenne won her first title at age 16... so she's more than qualified. As of yet, Maria Sharapova, though, has yet to get HER "qualifying" title... but she's only 16. There's still time.
============================
BONUS: (1 point)
A. Navratilova waited the longest of the #1's for her first title, winning in Orlando (1974) at 17 years, 11 months. Venus was 17 years, 8 months when she claimed Oklahoma City in 1998; while Serena was 17 years, 5 months when she won the Paris Indoors in 1999. [In case you were wondering what this question has to do with the 1980s... well, nothing, other than the fact that three #1's -- Graf, Seles & Sanchez Vicario -- won their first singles titles during the decade. It was just too interesting a question to pass up.]

==SCORING==
20-18 - Steffi's "Golden Slam" was nothing compared to this
17-12 - Now you know what Martina felt like in 1984
11-6 - Like Andrea Jaeger, you burned out far too early
0-5 - Where's that "Back to the Future" DeLorean when you need it?

2003 2Q Quiz

2003-07-16T20:33:00.000-04:00

==THE QUESTIONS==
1.The 2nd Quarter brought us an all-Belgian final at Roland Garros, then another all-Williams final at Wimbledon. When was the last slam singles final that wasn't an all-SOMETHING (Williams, Belgian, American, etc.) affair?
a.2001 Roland Garros
b.2002 Australian Open
c.1999 Wimbledon
----------------------------------
2.True/False. When Nadia Petrova advanced to the Roland Garros SF last month while holding a singles ranking of #76, she became the lowest-ranked RG semifinalist since #99 Brigitte Simon accomplished the feat in 1978.
---------------------------------
BONUS QUESTION #1
Thirteen active singles players (not counting Navratilova) have grasscourt WTA Tour singles titles on their resumes. Of the players on this list, which have and which haven't won grass titles?

Jennifer Capriati...Els Callens
Jelena Dokic........Monica Seles
Eleni Daniilidou....Mary Pierce
Lisa Raymond........Chanda Rubin
Conchita Martinez...Nicole Pratt
---------------------------------
3.Justine Henin-Hardenne's championship at Roland Garros meant that she was the first married woman to win a slam singles title since who?
a.Chris Evert at 1986 Roland Garros
b.Hana Mandlikova at 1985 US Open
c.Tracy Austin at 1981 US Open
--------------------------------
4.Which current Top 20 player had the biggest ranking rise from the beginning to the end of the 2nd Quarter?
a.Conchita Martinez
b.Ai Sugiyama
c.Silvia Farina Elia
d.Vera Zvonareva
--------------------------------
5."I was the only person to play in the Ladies' Qualifying, Main Draw and Junior Girls competitions at this year's Wimbledon." Who am I?
a.Vera Douchevina
b.Barbora Strycova
c.Carly Gullickson
d.Tatiana Golovin
-------------------------------
6.Match the 2nd Quarter quote with the player who said it about one of her opponents:
THE QUOTES
1."I lost the match. She didn't do very much. I was basically playing against myself."
2."There was nothing in particular she did. When I lose it's usually because of how I played."
3.On her opponent's slow serve: "I could almost hit an overhead off of it."

THE PLAYERS
a.Serena Williams
b.Jelena Dokic
c.Bruna Colosio
---------------------------------
7.The three youngest players ranked in the Top 100 at the end of the 2nd Quarter were all Russian. Pick the three, from youngest to oldest.
a.Sharapova,Kuznetsova,Zvonareva
b.Sharapova,Safina,Kuznetsova
c.Sharapova,Safina,Krasnoroutskaya
---------------------------------
8.When Amelie Mauresmo defeated #1 Serena Williams in Rome, she became just the fourth active player with wins in her career over three different players who held the #1 ranking at the time. Who are the other three?
a.S.Williams,V.Williams,Davenport
b.S.Williams,Clijsters,Davenport
c.S.Williams,V.Williams,Seles
--------------------------------
9.Fourteen players are now ranked in the Top 100 who were not there when the 2nd Quarter began. Name the three ranked the highest.
a.Sharapova,Morariu,Morigami
b.Sprem,Sharapova,Morariu
c.Petrova,Sharapova,Sprem
--------------------------------
10.What distinction did Gabriela Volekova, Maria Fernanda Alves and Sunitha Rao share in the 2nd Quarter?

a.they each won 3 ITF Challenger titles, the most in the quarter
b.they're the players Anna Kournikova defeated in a Challenger event
c.they're the players Maria Sharapova defeated en route to her Challenger event title at Sea Island, Georgia
d.they were all defeated 0-6,0-6 in 1r matches at Roland Garros and Wimbledon
--------------------------------
BONUS QUESTION #2
At the end of the 2nd Quarter, seven women aged 30-or-older were ranked in the Top 100. Pick them from this group:
V.Ruano-Pascual.....Ai Sugiyama
Els Callens.........Monica Seles
Silvia Farina Elia..Lisa Raymond
Nicole Pratt........Barbara Rittner
Amy Frazier.........Amanda Coetzer
Gala Leon Garcia....Conchita Martinez

==THE ANSWERS (1 point each unless noted)==
1.B. The 2002 Australian Open final between Jennifer Capriati and Martina Hingis was the last "non-all" slam final. By individual slam, the last "non-all" final came in 2001 for Wimbledon (Venus/Henin), 2001 for Roland Garros (Capriati/Clijsters) and 1999 for the US Open (Serena/Hingis).
--------------------------------
2.False. Petrova was the third lowest-ranked RG semifinalist, but it was only last year when someone ranked even lower did the same thing. #87 Clarisa Fernandez made the RG SF in 2002. Fernandez, by the way, began the 2nd Quarter ranked #26 but, after failing to repeat her career-best slam result in Paris, she ended the quarter ranked #65. Petrova is currently #25.
-------------------------------
BONUS QUESTION #1 (1 point for each correct answer) The six players listed with WTA grasscourt titles are Dokic (2002
Birmingham), Daniilidou (2002 s'Hertogenbosch), Seles (1996 Eastbourne), Raymond (2000 Birmingham), Rubin (2002 & 2003 Eastbourne) and Martinez (1994 Wimbledon).
-------------------------------
3.A. Chris Evert, then known as Chris Evert-Lloyd after her marriage to British tennis player John Lloyd, was the last married women's slam champ. She defeated Martina Navratilova at Roland Garros in 1986 for her record 7th title in Paris. It was the last grand slam crown (she won a total of 18 from 1974-86) of her Hall of Fame career.
-------------------------------
4.D. Zvonareva had the biggest jump amongst all current Top 20 players, improving 18 spots from #33 to #15. The next biggest rise was from Martinez, who moved up 11 spots from #25 to #14.
-------------------------------
5.C. 16-year old American Gullickson was the only participant in all three phases of Ladies singles action at Wimbledon. She was the youngest to win the necessary three matches to qualify, then lost to Iroda Tulyaganova in the 1r of the main draw (on Centre Court, in her grand slam debut). In her third week of Wimbledon action, the #2-seeded Gullickson lost in the QF of the Girls to #11-seed Emma Laine. She entered this week ranked #228 in singles.
-------------------------------
6.1 to B, 2 to A, 3 to C. (1 point for each correct answer) Dokic said it after losing to Conchita Martinez in Rome. Serena said it after losing to Amelie Mauresmo, also in Rome. And Colosio, ranked #384 at the time, directed her comments toward Anna Kournikova's serve after defeating the Russian superstar in a Challenger event at Charlottesville, Virginia.
-------------------------------
7.B. In order, 16-year old Maria Sharapova (#56), 17-year old Dinara Safina (#64) and 18-year old Svetlana Kuznetsova (#28).
-------------------------------
8.B. Mauresmo's win over Serena was added to victories over #1's Hingis & Davenport. Serena's #1 win were over Hingis, Capriati & sister Venus. Clijsters' were over Hingis, Venus & Serena. Davenport earned victories over Graf, Hingis & Capriati.
-------------------------------
9.C. #25 Petrova, #56 Sharapova and #66 Karolina Sprem were the highest-ranked players who rose into the Top 100. None have won WTA singles titles, but Sprem is tied for the most ITF Challenger titles in 2003 with four. By the way, the other 11 players who moved into the Top 100 were #72 Akiko Morigami, #87 Saori Obata, #88 Samantha Reeves, #90 Gala Leon Garcia, #91 Tatiana Perebiynis, #93 Maria Elena Camerin, #94 Martina Sucha, #96 Lubomira Kurhajcova, #97 Ansley Cargill, #98 Zuzana Ondraskova and #99 Arantxa Parra.
-------------------------------
10.B. They're the players Kournikova defeated on her way to a SF at Sea Island, where she lost in a walkover to the tournament's eventual winner Sharapova. The three victories are Kournikova's only wins in 2003 other than her 1r defeat of Henrieta Nagyova at the Australian Open in January.
-------------------------------
BONUS QUESTION #2 (1 point for each correct answer) The seven are Callens (32), Farina Elia (31), Coetzer (31), Martinez (31), Rittner (30), Pratt (30) and Frazier (30). Except for Sugiyama (who's 28), the other four Top 100 women on the list will all turn 30 before the end of 2003.

==SCORING==
25-21...With a little practice, you just might be able to convince Maria Sharapova that you're qualified to be her "grunting coach"

20-12...Congratulations, you've been hired as Daniela Hantuchova's new personal chef (I hear you only have to work 15 minutes a week, but you still get full health insurance coverage)

11-6...You win an all-expenses paid trip to Paris with Serena Williams, but you have to wear an "I Hate the French" t-shirt at all times

0-5...Your assignment is to come up with a list of 10 things to like about Lleyton Hewitt (good luck with such a hopeless endeavor)

Pierre Cantin Guest Quiz

2003-06-20T20:03:00.000-04:00

I'm taking a break this month. Here's a quiz put together by "guest compiler" Pierre Cantin, webmaster of Tennisrulz.com...

Well it is my honour to do this month's edition of the quiz to give a well deserved rest to our own Todd Spiker. And also, it's a good chance to know how much HE really knows:) He will surely give out results in his next edition. The subject of this quiz actually does not go back that much, as it is all from the last season on the WTA tour. Now you're probably smiling now, only one year ago... ? Well then go ahead and prove me how much you remember and what details did you pay attention to? Reading Todd's columns helped for some questions if you have a good memory, so anyway best of luck to all of you:)

>>>THE QUESTIONS

1.Which of these players received a wildcard and ended up winning the singles title during the 2002 season?
a.Eleni Daniilidou
b.Svetlana Kuznetsova
c.Dinara Safina
d.Fabiola Zuluaga
-----------------------------------
2.Obviously, not only the Williams sisters were able to put their name on some trophies and many new players rose a cup for the first time of their careers. Which of these countries did not have a first time winner of a WTA singles title in 2002?
a.Slovakia
b.Switzerland
c.Russia
d.USA
-----------------------------------
3.Name the Italian player who improved by a remarkable 194 ranking spots in 2002?
a.Maria-Elena Camerin
b.Tathiana Garbin
c.Flavia Pennetta
d.Antonella Serra-Zanetti
-----------------------------------
4.Who played the final opposing the oldest set of players (adding up both ages) - hint.. it happened in the closing stages of the year?
a.Anna Pistolesi vs Jennifer Capriati
b.Lindsay Davenport vs Magdalena Maleeva
c.Lindsay Davenport vs Martina Navratilova
d.Monica Seles vs Chanda Rubin
-----------------------------------
5.Which of these players did not get double-baggled (to lose 6-0, 6-0) in 2002?
a.Ashley Harkleroad
b.Mirjana Lucic
c.Mary Pierce
d.Antonella Serra-Zanetti
e.Marlene Weingartner
-----------------------------------
6.How many times did a player win both singles and doubles in 2002?
a.3
b.5
c.7
d.9
-----------------------------------
7.Which of thse countries won the most singles titles?
a.France
b.Slovakia
c.Spain
d.Switzerland
-----------------------------------
8.True or false. Serena only defended one title in 2002 from her 2001 wins
-----------------------------------
9.How many players were able to set up a 15 match winning streak?
-----------------------------------
10.Which of these players was not born in Canada?
a.Nathalie Dechy
b.Amelie Mauresmo
c.Jana Nejedly
d.Mary Pierce
-----------------------------------
BONUS QUESTION: In what was one of the biggest surprises in Fed Cup history, the USA was eliminated by who?:
1.Australia
2.Austria
3.Denmark
4.Spain
5.Sweden

>>>ANSWERS (1 point for each correct answer

1.D. Fabiola Zuluaga won the Bogota tournament in 2002 as wildcard, the only player to accomplish suich a feat other than Myriam Casanova
===================================
2.D. Surprising but with 22 titles (second country has 6), USA did not even have one new champion!
===================================
3.C. That would be Flavia Pennetta, one of the most improved players of the WTA in 2002 as only Zvonareva, Safina, Casanova, Kuznetsova and Zuluaga improved more!
===================================
4.B. That would be Magdalena Maleeva (27) and Lindsay Davenport (26), who played in the Kremlin Cup final!
===================================
5.A. Ashley Harkleroad is the only one of those players who did not face such a humiliating feeling. She did however get to see the other side as she defeated Marlene Weingartner 6-0, 6-0 in Bratislava.
===================================
6.C. 7 times... Jelena Dokic, Serena Williams, Patrica Wartusch, Svetlana Kuznetsova, Serena again, Maja Matevzic and Kim Clijsters.
===================================
7.D. Switzerland! As Martina Hingis (2), Myriam Casanova, Marie-Gainieh Mikaelian and Patty Schnyder contributed to the 5 titles.
===================================
8.False. In fact, Serena did not defend even one title in 2002!
===================================
9.1. It was done twice..but by the same player, Serena of course!
===================================
10.A. Amelie Mauresmo was not born in Canada, while all three others were (even though 2 play for France).
===================================
BONUS QUESTION: USA was stunned by Austria!

>>>SCORING

9-11...Time to prepare a speech for your Tennis Hall of Fame induction
-----------------------------------
7-8...Time to ask for a wild card into your local tournament
-----------------------------------
5-6...Time to spend more time on the practice courts
-----------------------------------
3-4...Time to get a new sports psychologist, or ponder early retirement
-----------------------------------
1-2...a conceptually impossible feat

===================================
COMING NEXT MONTH: The return of Todd Spiker with more very tough questions.

The 1970s Quiz

2003-05-01T20:34:00.001-04:00

The subject of this month's quiz? The 1970s. All the questions center around players and records from the 1970-79 era. Don't remember it? Well, then consider this something of a "tennis tutorial."

As you get your 70's tennis knowledge flowing, consider getting a cash advance to buy extra time for answering the quiz questions.

==THE QUESTIONS==
1.Which player set the record for the most singles titles in a season during the 1970s? (Bonus: Within 3, how many titles did she win?)
a.Martina Navratilova
b.Chris Evert
c.Evonne Goolagong
d.Margaret Court
-----------------------------------------
2.Evonne Goolagong won the 1977 Australian Open title. She was unranked at the time, making it the only occurence when such a woman has won a slam singles crown since the advent of any ranking system. What circumstances precipitated the Australian's unranked status?

a.she was out of action for 10 months after having suffered a severely broken leg in a car accident in her native New South Wales, Australia
b.a squabble with the WTA over prize money resulted in a boycott by Goolagong against, and her subsequent 8-month suspension by, the WTA
c.she left the tour to have a baby
d.she had retired at the end of the 1976 season, but decided to come back to the game less than a year later, returning to action in November '77 just before the Australian Open that December
-----------------------------------------
3.Martina Navratilova's first slam singles crown came, not surprisingly, at Wimbledon. How many grand slam main draws did she participate (and lose) in before she won the first of her 18 titles?
a.0 (she won in her first attempt)
b.14
c.9
d.19
-----------------------------------------
4.True/False. No woman was able to win at least one WTA singles title in every season from 1970-79. (Bonus: If "True," which player claimed a title in the most seasons. If "False," which player or players won titles in every year of the decade?)
-----------------------------------------
5.Martina Navratilova and Chris Evert met 14 times in grand slam singles finals during their careers. Three of those matchups occurred in the 1970s. What slam hosted the first of these battles? (Bonus: In what year did it occur, and who won?)
-----------------------------------------
6."I won the Australian Open in the 1970s, and was the only woman from my country to do so during the decade. My sister also played in a grand slam singles final during her career. Who am I?"
a.Manuela Maleeva
b.Barbara Jordan
c.Gabriela Navratilova
d.it's a trick question -- no woman fits the description!
-----------------------------------------
7.Who held or shared the WTA lead in singles titles the most seasons during the 1970s?
a.Margaret Court
b.Martina Navratilova
c.Billie Jean King
d.Chris Evert
-----------------------------------------
8.Which doubles team won the most slam titles during the 1970-79 span?
a.Margaret Court & Virginia Wade
b.Billie Jean King & Rosie Casals
c.Martina Navratilova & Chris Evert
d.Billie Jean King & Martina Navratilova
-----------------------------------------
9.Which player had the best start to a season during the decade? (Bonus: Which player, not necessarily active during the 1970s, currently holds the record for the best-ever start to a season?)
a.Chris Evert (1978)
b.Martina Navratilova (1978)
c.Margaret Court (1973)
d.Evonne Goolagong (1977)
-----------------------------------------
10."I won a grand slam singles title in the 1970s. Unfortunately for me, it was the only WTA singles crown I won in my entire career. Who am I?"
a.Chris O'Neil
b.Lesley Turner Bowrey
c.Renee Richards
d.Betsy Nagelsen
-----------------------------------------
BONUS QUESTION: From the initial WTA computer rankings list on November 3, 1975 until the end of the decade, five different women were ranked either #1 or #2. From the list of ten that follows, pick the five who did:
1.Chris Evert
2.Virginia Wade
3.Hana Mandlikova
4.Billie Jean King
5.Margaret Court
6.Evonne Goolagong
7.Olga Morozova
8.Tracy Austin
9.Pam Shriver
10.Martina Navratilova

==ANSWERS==
=(1 point for each correct answer, 1 point for each bonus)=
1.D. Margaret Court. (Bonus point: Court won 21 titles in 1970, so a guess between 18-24 earns a point. The record still stands. In fact, in the past 13 years, the most titles any player has won in a season was Martina Hingis' 12 in 1997.)
=========================================
2.C. Goolagong finished the 1976 season as the #2-ranked player, then learned that she was expecting her first child. After having the baby (Kelly), she returned to action late in 1977. She was awarded a #1-seed at the Australian, which at that time was held in December, and went on to win the event. After her return, Goolagong managed to string together a 34-match winning streak, winning five titles and, between November '77 and March '78, going a combined 46-2. The last Australian woman to win a grand slam singles crown, she claimed the last of her seven slams in 1980 at Wimbledon. In fact, since Goolagong, Wendy Turnbull's December 1980 appearance in the Oz final is the only time an Aussie woman has advanced to such a stage in the past 22 (and counting) years. Of Note: Hana Mandlikova, who became an Australian citizen late in her career, did advance to eight slam finals (winning 4, the last being the Australian in 1987) but all were as a citizen of Czechoslovakia.
=========================================
3.B. Navratilova won the 1978 Wimbledon title with a victory over Chris Evert. It was her 15th appearance in the main draw of a slam. Her best results for each of the other three slams before that victory were a RU in Australia in 1975, a Roland Garros RU in 1975, and US Open SF in 1977.
========================================
4.False. One woman did so. (Bonus point: It was Evonne Goolagong, who won at least one WTA singles title in every season from 1970-79 -- and a total of 67 during the span. She extended her season-streak to 11 with the final singles title of her career at Wimbledon in 1980. The longest season-streak ever belongs to Martina Navratilova, who claimed a title in 21 straight seasons from 1974-94.)
========================================
5.(1 point for each of the three correct answers) The first Navratilova-Evert slam final occurred at Roland Garros in 1975, with Evert winning 2-6,6-2,6-1. Navratilova would go on to win 10 of the remainging 13 matchups. Their final slam clash, though, went to Evert as she won her record 7th Roland Garros title with a three-set victory in 1986.
=======================================
6.B. She's Barbara Jordan, who defeated fellow American Sharon Walsh in the 1979 Australian Open final. It was by far Jordan's best slam performance, considering she never advanced past the 3r in her 21 other appearances (and had 11 1r exits). And, yes, her sister Kathy -- years before anyone had ever heard of Venus or Serena -- also made the 1983 Australian final (losing to M.Navratilova) to make the Jordans the first sisters to both advance to grand slam singles finals since Maud and Lillian Watson faced off at Wimbledon in 1884. As of yet, none of the three Maleevas have made a slam final, though in mid-1993 all three were ranked in the Top 13. Youngest (and still active) Maggie was #11, oldest Manuela #12 and middle sibling Katerina #13. Gabriela Navratilova, by the way, is a Czech currently playing on tour.
=========================================
7.D. Evert led four times (consecutively from 1974-77). Court led 3 times, with Navratilova and King 2 times each.
========================================
8.B. King/Casals won four slam doubles titles during the decade. The Court/Wade, Navratilova/Evert and King/Navratilova teams all won two. The team of Goolagong/Peggy Michel won three.
========================================
9.B. Navratilova began her '78 season with a 37-0 run. (Bonus point: Navratilova held the record until 1987 when Steffi Graf started 45-0. Martina Hingis matched Navratilova's 37-0 start in 1997.)
========================================
10.A. She's Aussie Chris O'Neil, the then-world #111 who defeated Betsy Nagelsen in the final of the 1978 Australian Open. Although also a Roland Garros Junior Girls champ in 1975, the '78 Oz win was O'Neil's only WTA singles crown during a 10-year career that saw her earn just $56,291 and her ranking rise no higher than #67.
========================================
BONUS QUESTION: (one point for each) Numbers 1 (Evert), 2 (Wade), 4 (King), 6 (Goolagong) and 10 (Navratilova). Since the computer rankings didn't start until 1975, Court's career high in the system was just #5. Austin won the 1979 US Open and finished the season at #3, then became world #1 in April 1980.

==SCORING==
16-20...Time to prepare a speech for your Tennis Hall of Fame induction
----------------------------------------
11-15...Time to ask for a wild card into your local tournament
----------------------------------------
5-10...Time to spend more time on the practice courts
----------------------------------------
1-4...Time to get a new sports psychologist, or ponder early retirement
---------------------------------------
0...a conceptually impossible feat

2003 1Q Quiz

2003-04-06T20:36:00.000-04:00

...the WTA 1st quarter is over, but it lives on as the subject of this month's Backspin quiz.

>>>THE QUESTIONS
1.Who was the oldest singles champion of the 1st quarter?
a.Amanda Coetzer
b.Conchita Martinez
c.Lisa Raymond
d.Ai Sugiyama
==========================================
2.Pick the Russian:
I.Klara Koukalova or Anastassia Rodionova?
II.Iveta Benesova or Alina Jidkova?
III.Golina Fokina or Olga Barabanschikova?
IV.Vera Douchevina or Libuse Prusova?
==========================================
3.On Venus Williams: "I think her game's gone down a bit. I don't think she's as solid as she was before." Who said it?
a.Meghann Shaughnessy
b.Jelena Dokic
c.Jennifer Capriati
d.Justine Henin-Hardenne
==========================================
4.Martina Navratilova's mixed doubles title with Leander Paes at the Australian gave her grand slam titles in four different decades. In all, she has eight slam mixed doubles titles. With whom did she win multiple championships?
a.Todd Woodbridge
b.Mark Woodforde
c.Heinz Gunthardt
d.Leander Paes
==========================================
5.Martina Hingis (67 spots) and Sandrine Testud (41) fell the farthest in the Top 100 rankings from January 1 to March 31. Which players suffered the next three most substantial drops?
a.Tu, Kournikova, Muller
b.Kremer, Schett, Kournikova
c.Kournikova, Talaja, Gagliardi
==========================================
6.True/False. No player claimed both the singles and doubles titles in the same tournament in the 1st quarter.
==========================================
7.Alicia Molik's win in Hobart was the first singles title claimed by an Aussie woman in eight years. Who was the last to win before her?
a.Nicole Provis
b.Nicole Pratt
c.Hana Mandlikova
==========================================
8.Which three players can state that they held simultaneous Top 10 rankings in both singles and doubles at some point during the 1st quarter?
a.S.Williams, Hantuchova, Dokic
b.S.Williams, Hantuchova, Clijsters
c.Hantuchova, Clijsters, Davenport
==========================================
9.On the French: "We don't want war. We want to make clothes." Who said it?
a.Amelie Mauresmo
b.Jennifer Capriati
c.Emilie Loit
d.Serena Williams
==========================================
10.True/False. Kim Clijsters was the only teenager to win a WTA singles title in the 1st quarter.
==========================================
11.What song did Jennifer Capriati request be played as she came onto the court in Miami?
a."Imagine"
b."Bombs Over Baghdad"
c."Sunday Bloody Sunday"
d."God Bless America"
=========================================
12.Who were the three biggest risers in the Top 100 singles rankings between January 1 and March 31?
a.Krasnoroutskaya, Cohen Aloro, Koukalova
b.Zvonareva, Bartoli, Molik
c.Molik, Cho, Weingartner
=========================================
13.To what unique distinction can Henrieta Nagyova stake a claim in the 1st quarter?

a.she was the only player to lose 0-6,0-6 twice
b.she was the only player to lose to Anna Kournikova
c.she won the most games off Serena Williams in a single match
d.she entered events as a representative of two different countries
==========================================
14."Tennis was a part of my life for so many years, but now it's finished." Who said it?
a.Steffi Graf
b.Nathalie Tauziat
c.Sandrine Testud
d.Martina Hingis
==========================================
15.Thirteen women spent time in the Top 10 during the 13 weeks that made up the 1st quarter. Name as many as you can.
==========================================

>>>THE ANSWERS
>>>1 point for each answer, unless noted

1.A. 31-year old Coetzer won in Acapulco.
------------------------------------------
2.The Russians are Rodionova, Jidkova, Fokina and Douchevina (1 point for each correct answer)
------------------------------------------
3.B. Dokic said it in a post-match press conference not long after Williams lost to Shaughnessy in the Miami 4r.
------------------------------------------
4.C. Navratilova won the 1985 Roland Garros and US Open titles with Gunthardt, the former Steffi Graf coach who's now working with Jelena Dokic. Navratilova won a title apiece with Paes (Oz 03), Woodforde (Wimb 93), I.Molina (RG 74), Paul McNamee (Wimb 85), Emilio Sanchez (US 87) and Jonathan Stark (Wimb 95).
------------------------------------------
5.C. Anna Kournikova (31 spots, #35 to #66), Silvija Talaja (24, #75 to #99) and Emmanuelle Gagliardi (22, #61 to #83).
------------------------------------------
6.False. Three did. Clijsters in Sydney, Serena Williams at the Australian and Sugiyama in Scottsdale.
------------------------------------------
7.A. Provis won Auckland in 1995.
------------------------------------------
8.B. S.Williams (7 weeks), Hantuchova(3) and Clijsters (3).
------------------------------------------
9.D. Serena Williams (in a French accent).
------------------------------------------
10.True. 19-year old Clijsters won titles in Sydney and Indian Wells.
------------------------------------------
11.B.
------------------------------------------
12.A. Lina Krasnoroutskaya (up 116, #175 to #59), Stephanie Cohen Aloro (73, #170 to #97) and Klara Koukalova (50, #120 to #70).
------------------------------------------
13.B. Nagyova lost to Kournikova in the 1r of the Australian Open. Kournikova was 0-3 in her other 1st quarter matches.
------------------------------------------
14.D.
------------------------------------------
15.Serena Williams (13 of 13 weeks), Venus Williams (13), Kim Clijsters (13), Justine Henin-Hardenne (13), Jennifer Capriati (13), Daniela Hantuchova (13), Amelie Mauresmo (13), Jelena Dokic (13), Lindsay Davenport (12), Monica Seles (9), Chanda Rubin (3), Anastasia Myskina (1) and Martina Hingis (1). (score 1 point for each correct answer)

>>>SCORING CHART
30...The Undefeated: Serena and You!
******************************************
21-29...An invitation to the Williams Family Reunion is in the mail
******************************************
15-20...Waffles and Russians Beware
******************************************
6-14...Like Wonder Girl, you need to get stronger
******************************************
0-5...Anna K's new doubles partner (so, does that make you a "lucky loser?")

The First WTA Backspin Quiz

2003-03-14T20:37:00.000-05:00

>>>THE QUESTIONS

1.The WTA instituted its computer rankings system on November 3, 1975. Which were the original 1-5 rankings?
A.Navratilova,Evert,King,Court,Austin
B.Evert,Wade,Navratilova,King,Goolagong
C.King,Navratilova,Evert,Wade,Court
D.Court,Goolagong,Evert,Navratilova,Austin
E.Navratilova,King,Evert,Goolagong,Wade
--------------------------------------
2.True/False. In 1987, Steffi Graf became the first non-American born or naturalized American citizen to hold the #1 computer ranking in singles.
--------------------------------------
3.Who was the lowest-ranked player to ever win a WTA singles title?
A.Martina Muller
B.Dinara Safina
C.Angelique Widjaja
D.Svetlana Kuznetsova
E.Myriam Casanova
--------------------------------------
4.How many Russian women were ranked in the Top 50 singles at the conclusion of each of the last three seasons (2000,2001,2002)?
A.4,6,8
B.2,3,5
C.1,4,10
D.0,3,5
E.none of the above
--------------------------------------
5.Pick the four women who won two or more Tier I singles titles over the course of the 2001-02 seasons:
A.V.Williams,S.Williams,Clijsters,Seles
B.Davenport,V.Williams,Capriati,Clijsters
C.V.Williams,Davenport,Hingis,Henin
D.Capriati,S.Williams,Clijsters,Hingis
E.S.Williams,Davenport,Dokic,Mauresmo
--------------------------------------
6.True/False. 2002 Indian Wells champion Daniela Hantuchova, ranked #26 at the time, is the lowest-ranked player to ever win a Tier I event.
--------------------------------------
7.Who were the youngest and oldest players to ever earn Top 10 rankings? Who were the youngest and oldest #1's?
--------------------------------------
8.The U.S. (22) and Belgium (6) had the most women singles champions in 2001-02. Which countries tied for the third-most titles?
A.Switzerland and Russia
B.Spain and Russia
C.Russia and Slovakia
D.France and Spain
E.Israel and Yugoslavia
--------------------------------------
9.Which current player holds the WTA record for the longest period of time between singles titles?
A.Ai Sugiyama
B.Jill Craybas
C.Elena Likhovtseva
D.Els Callens
E.Barbara Rittner
--------------------------------------
10.Name the eleven women who have been ranked #1 since the computer rankings began in 1975.
--------------------------------------

>>>ANSWERS

1.B.Evert,Wade,Navratilova,King,Goolagong. Evert held the #1 ranking for the proceeding 140 weeks, until Navratilova moved past her.
--------------------------------------
2.True and False. Germany's Graf became the first top-ranked women to never hold American citizenship when she became #1 in 1987 (she stayed there for 186 straight weeks before Seles overtook her in 1991). But, Czech-born Navratilova did serve as #1 for 81 weeks from 1979-81 before she became a naturalized American citizen in July 1981. As an American, she was #1 for a total of an additional 250 weeks through the rest of her career.
--------------------------------------
3.C.#579 Angelique Widjaja of Indonesia won the Bali title in 2001.
--------------------------------------
4.A.4,6,8 (4 in 2000: Kournikova, Dementieva, Likhovtseva, Panova), (6 in 2001: Dementieva, Krasnoroutskaya, Likhovtseva, Petrova, Panova, Bovina) and (8 in 2002: Myskina, Dementieva, Panova, Bovina, Kournikova, Likhovtseva, Kuznetsova, Zvonareva)
--------------------------------------
5.E.S.Williams (4), Davenport (2), Dokic (2), Mauresmo (2)
--------------------------------------
6.False. In March 2002, #26 Hantuchova broke Dokic's record (#23 when she won Rome 2001) as the lowest-ranked Tier I champion. But just one month later, #58 Iva Majoli broke Hantuchova's new record when she claimed the Charleston Tier I title.
--------------------------------------
7.Jennifer Capriati became the youngest Top 10 player in October 1990, at 14 years-7 months; while Billie Jean King was the oldest at 39 years-10 months in October 1983. Chris Evert holds the record as the oldest #1, at 31 years-10 months-7 weeks in 1985; while Martina Hingis is the youngest-ever #1 at 16 years-6 months-1 day in 1997.
--------------------------------------
8.A.Switzerland and Russia. Four Swiss women (Hingis-2, Schnyder-1, Mikaelian-1, Casanova-1) and three Russians (Bovina-2, Kuznetsova-2, Myskina-1) combined for five championships for each country. Israel and Slovakia had four apiece.
--------------------------------------
9.E.Barbara Rittner, with a stretch of 8 years-9 months between her 1992 Schenectady and 2001 Antwerp titles.
--------------------------------------
10.In order of their first attaining the #1 ranking: Evert, Navratilova, Austin, Graf, Seles, Sanchez Vicario, Hingis, Davenport, Capriati, V.Williams, S.Williams

>>>SCORING

10 correct: GRAND SLAM CHAMPION...look out, Serena!

7-9: Top 10, with flair...work on your game's consistency.

5-6: A grinder with Top 20 potential.

3-4: Maybe a new coach will help? Damir Dokic is currently available.

1-2: Curse out the umpire...it worked for McEnroe.

0: Time for retirement...I hear Arantxa needs a morning hitting partner these days.