Women's tennis: Finally, full steam ahead

As I sat watching the U.S. Open women's final between Martina Hingis and Serena Williams, I was struck with a rare epiphany. Much to my surprise, I was enjoying tennis. I even found it - could it be? - exciting. But this wasn't just any kind of tennis; this was women's tennis, something I have not followed since the rise of Steffi Graf and Monica Seles and the graceful fall of legends like Chris Evert and Martina Navritilova.

The women's game today reminds me of the early '90s, when men's tennis was almost as intense. I can recall a young Boris Becker smashing cross-court winners, Michael Chang running frantically from sideline to sideline and Ivan Lendl mastering the net like the old, tour-hardened pro that he was. Andre Agassi and Pete Sampras were dimple-faced upstarts at that point, while legends like Jimmy Connors and John McEnroe were desperately trying to steal one last Grand Slam title.

Every Slam was competitive, and they always seemed to end with one of the top players in the world hoisting the majestic winner's trophy over his head with flashbulbs exploding everywhere.

The torch has now been passed, and it's about time. I am tired of seeing 15 minute sensations like Richard Krajicek and Yevgeny Kafelnikov win Grand Slams. During recent months, the top five in the men's draw fluctuates between Carlos Moya, Agassi, the fragile Sampras, the mercurial Marcelo Rios, Todd Martin and the one lone phenom that shows promise, the hustling Aussie Patrick Rafter. To sum it up, the men's bracket is one filled with aging veterans (former French Open champ Andre Medvedev, Martin), whiny youngsters (Rios, Greg Rusedski and the fiesty Jeff Tarango) and inconsistent performers (Rafter, Moya, Kuerten).

The women's game, on the other hand, has rising stars and established (teen-aged) professionals from around the world. Where to begin? Let's start with...

Lindsay Davenport is coming into her own with a win at Wimbledon and has added a nice net game to complement her powerful ground strokes.

With one of the top serves in the game (rivaled in that department only by her sister), Serena Williams has perfected the power game. Her ferocious ground strokes force opponents to commit countless unforced errors. She also has a knack for coming up with big aces in the clutch, as she proved when she beat Hingis to become the first African American female to win the U.S. Open title.

Martina Hingis, although a brat at heart, has been in the top three for the past three years. She has racked up title after title and almost swept the Slams two years ago. Her intellect and finesse game drives opponents nuts. She has a killer drop shot and knows how to get inside an opponent's head.

Monica Seles has fully recovered from her stabbing and has quickly but quietly moved back into the top ten. Although she has not captured a Slam yet, she is still a force to be reckoned with.

What list could be complete without every young male's fantasy, sweet 17 year old Anna Kournikova? Kournikova is probably better known for her off-court relationship with Detroit Red Wings star Sergei Fedorov, but her on-court accomplishments - including a killer serve-and-volley game - should not be overlooked.

Rounding out the ever-so-competitive circuit is Venus Williams, the older sister of the now-famous Serena. Many thought it would be Venus who would win the first Slam, but Venus would be the first to disagree. She has stated publicly that Serena would be the better of the two. Venus is no slouch herself. With a tall, slender, muscular frame she whips serves in at 120 mph, can come to the net with the best of them, and runs down balls like a cat.

Veteran Jana Novotna won her first Slam two years ago, and is still competitive in her early 30s. Irina Spirlea still gives opponents fits, and Mary Pierce is still one of the hardest hitters in the game. This second tier is not far behind the frontrunners, and more competition makes for quality tennis.

It's about time a tennis fan can sit back and enjoy these women progress into one of the most competitive groups we've had in a long time. My only hope is that these ladies get the credit they deserve.