U.S. Open champion Kuznetsova eyes New Haven title

NEW YORK (Reuters) – U.S. Open champion Svetlana Kuznetsova
spearheads a strong women’s field at the Pilot Pen tournament
which begins in New Haven, Connecticut on Sunday.

Lindsay Davenport, who will lose her world number one
ranking to Russian Maria Sharapova on Monday, is top seed while
world number three Amelie Mauresmo of France and number six
Elena Dementieva of Russia also compete.

Russian Nikolay Davydenko, the world number seven, leads a
men’s field weakened by the late withdrawal of world number
four Marat Safin through injury.

Much of the attention though will surround the battle for
supremacy in the women’s event.

With eight days to go until she begins her U.S. Open title
defense, Kuznetsova goes into the tournament struggling for
form and fitness having had a back injury in Toronto last week.

She needs match practice after winning only two matches
since reaching the quarter-finals of Wimbledon.

As one of the top four seeds, the Russian has a bye into
the second round where she meets Magdalena Maleeva of Bulgaria
or a qualifier.

BACK INJURY

Davenport, who has not played since retiring from her
opening match at Stanford earlier this month due to a lower
back injury, could play Frenchwoman Tatiana Golovin, the world
number 25, in her opening match.

Australian Alicia Molik, who has slipped out of the top 10
to number 13 having only played once since April because of an
inner ear infection, returns to the tour.

“It’s been a while since I’ve been on the circuit, so to
get an opportunity to play here in New Haven the week before
the U.S. Open is a big confidence boost,” she said.

“The timing couldn’t have been worse. I was playing the
best tennis of my life.

“It was very frustrating. As well as a physical struggle,
it was a mental battle too,” said Molik.

“I don’t think you realize how much you miss playing until
you’re forced out of it. When you’re traveling a lot you wish
you had time off but having that much time out of the game made
me realize how much I love it.”