US Open, `Empire of Women`

One thing has been changed in the US Open, the last major tennis tournament this year.

It is that the women`s final will be held in the prime evening time, which is shifted from Saturday morning (ET). The matching time has usually been determined according to the TV broadcasting time. Recently, as the women`s tennis has heightened its popularity, it occupied `the prime time`.

In actuality, among the women`s sports, the audience rating of the WTA tour is 2.1 percent following that of the figure skating (2.6 percent). The LPGA tour only ranked in the sixth with 1.1 percent. Recently, in the US Open, the audience rating of the women`s single final was the same as the men`s single final with 6.3 percent in 1999, and the women`s single final (5.8 percent) was rather higher than the men`s single final (4.2 percent) last year.

What would be the reason that the women`s tennis has drawn such a great attention in the US? First of all, while the foreigners have taken the titles in the golf, the American players such as Williams sisters, Lindsay Davenport, and Jennifer Capriati are leading the top ranking in the tennis. These young players in 20s have attracted the fans with the powerful play in the court just like the male players.

And some analyze that since many players have good looks as well as the top-ranking ability, there are other attractions than the game itself.

The posters of the female stars participating in the US Open, which were posted in many places in New York City, reflect the fervent popularity of the women`s tennis, and the spectators are crowding in women`s tennis matches. Therefore, it seems to be natural that unlike the other tournaments, the US Open has been granting the same amount of the prize ($850,000) to the male winner and the female winner.

The players leading the fervent popularity of the women`s tennis such as Martina Hingis (Swiss), Serena Williams, Davenport are smoothly advancing in the women`s single at USTA National Tennis Center, Flushing Meadows. Top seeded Hingis needed only 37 minutes to batter Russian Lina Krasnoroutskaya 2-0 (6-0, 6-2) in the second round, and advanced to the third round. A champion of 1999 US Open, Williams overpowered Denisa Chladkova (Cze) 2-0 (6-1, 6-1), allowing just two games. The third seeded Davenport defeated Emilie Loit (France) only in 42 minutes to advance to the third round.

Attracting considerable attention with her cute style, the Wimbledon finalist, Justine Henin (Belgium) won the come-from-behind victory over Patty Schnyder (Swiss), 2-1 (6-7, 6-1, 6-4).

In a relatively shrunk men`s tennis, the top seeded French Open champion Gustavo Kuerten (Brazil) won a bitter fight with Daniel Vacek (Cze), 3-1 (6-4, 6-4, 3-6, 7-5) in the first round. Looking for the second major title after the Wimbledon, Goran Ivanisevic (Croatia) easily shut out Hugo Armando with 25 service aces, 3-0 (6-4, 6-4, 6-3). Patrick Rafter (Australia), who was defeated by Ivanisevic in the Wimbledon final, crushed Christophe Rochus (Belgium), 3-0 (7-5, 6-2, 6-1).

Kim Jong-Seok kjs0123@donga.com