Tennis: Greek vows she will be back to chase history

By TERRY MADDAFORD




Eleni Daniilidou has promised she will be back to chase a place in classic history this time next year.

Minutes after her 6-3, 6-2 win over unseeded American Ashley Harkleroad in 1h 6m, Daniilidou made it clear she wanted to return. And she wants to go one better than the first back-to-back victories the tournament has seen in more than a decade.

Saturday's ASB Classic win for the third seed, defending champion and world No 26 was the first repeat win since American Patty Fendick successfully defended in 1989.

The bigger prize for Daniilidou would be to join tennis great Evonne Goolagong as only the second player to win three in a row.

Goolagong, who also won four doubles titles (including successive wins from 1973-75, the same years as her singles run), was one of several Australians to make their mark in the early days of the event, first played as the Auckland International in 1956.

With Australians mostly no-shows at the ASB Bank Tennis Centre these days because of rival tournaments across the Tasman, Europeans and Americans have dominated.

Daniilidou, a 21-year-old Greek, and her 18-year-old rival continued that tradition. From the outset, the final was an interesting contest as Daniilidou sought to dominate her younger, less-experienced opponent. For much of the match she did that but only after overcoming a shaky start - taken to deuce before winning the opening game on serve, but needing six minutes to do it.

Harkleroad held, again after being taken to deuce, but then broke for 2-1, and held for 3-1. The wheels then fell off, the grunting got louder, then disappeared.

From 3-1 down, Daniilidou peeled off five straight in just 19 minutes to wrap up the first set.

Daniilidou took just 29 minutes to finish it off 6-2 in the second. Harkleroad only showed potential when she ventured to the net. In 11 trips she won six points. Daniilidou went forward just four times, winning three points.

The other stats are interesting: Daniilidou six double faults, Harkleroad one. No aces for either player and first-serve percentages similar. But the telling one is the Greek's 29-7 advantage in clean winners.

"Today, I just did not have it," said Harkleroad. "She did a good job of running me from side to side to make me tired. She was very good.

"I was not really nervous. I was more excited. Overall I was happy with my week. It is a good start for 2004."


Harkleroad, after her second appearance in the Classic and reaching her first WTA final, said: "I think I will definitely come back. There is a lot of support ... a nice place to play tennis."

Daniilidou was also enthusiastic about the tournament - and her first title since winning on the same centre court a year ago.

"I did not come here expecting to play the final. I was not feeling good in my early matches. After I fell behind 3-1, I gave it 100 per cent. I played more aggressively and my forehand was working better."

The question of whether she would return was almost redundant. "I love it here. I'm very happy to come back," said Daniilidou, minutes after waking her family in Thessaloniki with the news of her win, worth US$22,000 ($32,630) and 95 invaluable WTA points. Some players say things without conviction but it would be a surprise if she did not turn up.