Power, the name of the game

The arrival of teen sisters Venus and Serena Williams and musclebound French hope Amelie Mauresmo has given the sport a new dimension and irrevocably made power the name of the game going into the new millennium.

That has delighted the sponsors, who have a whole raft of new teenage stars to market to an ever-wider audience.

Swiss world number one Martina Hingis is almost an old hand at 18 and Venus Williams, 19 wins in 20 matches this year, is actually three months older.

But while they may be the favourites there are plenty of even newer kids on the block looking to cause a shock or two.

Serena Williams, 17, is foremost among them – provided she can get over an elbow injury which forced her to withdraw from the quarter-finals in Berlin.

Another youngster to look out for is Australian wildcard Jelena Dokic, conqueror of no less than French title-holder Arantxa Sanchez-Vicario at the Hopman Cup. And 16-year-old Belgian Justine Henin, who won on her tour debut in Antwerp last Sunday, is likewise a dangerous floater.

Spanish veteran Sanchez-Vicario, 27, will battle with typical gusto after overcoming a wrist problem and is one of a number of `golden oldies’ — along with fellow three-time winner Monica Seles, who reigned supreme here between 1990 and 1992.

Then there is second-seeded American Lindsay Davenport, who not only wants to recover the top spot from Hingis, who is only 228 points clear, but also to go one better than last year’s semi-final defeat by Sanchez-Vicario.

But many foresee a titanic tussle between Hingis and Venus Williams, who along with her sister has blazed a hurricane trail across the circuit this year.

Hingis has stacked up four Grand Slam singles titles so far in her illustrious carer, but Roland Garros still eludes her, though in 1993 she became the youngest ever winner of the juniors title aged just 12.

In 1997, the Swiss teenager lost the final to Croatia’s Iva Majoli and last year brought a semi-final exit to an inspired Seles.

But this year, Hingis showed just how awesome she can be in thrashing France’s Julie Halard-Decugis for the loss of just one game to take the German Open in Berlin.

Hingis knows she can beat anyone on her day. But she also knows just where danger lurks. “Venus is definitely my most dangerous opponent at the moment. But I’m not afraid of her power game,” said the top seed.

“After Berlin, I’m ready for the French and go in really confident,” insisted Hingis, who in January completed a hat-trick of successes at Melbourne, beating surprise finalist Mauresmo in the final.

Venus, who at six feet three inches and 77 kg is an imposing sight, has four tournament wins already this year for a career total of seven, while Serena has picked up her first two honours.

And the two siblings made history on February 28 when Venus won in Oklahoma city while Serena took the Paris Indoor Open as sisters uniquely won separate events on different continents on the same day.

A month later the inevitable happened and the combative pair faced each other in the Lipton final at Key Biscayne, with Venus winning through in three tough sets to go 3-0 in their career head-to-head and snap a 16-match streak for Serena.

“I didn’t want to be her next victim,” Venus explained with a smile.

Proud father Richard couldn’t resist telling the world: told you so after predicting his daughters would one day be ranked one and two in the world.

The competition meanwhile took a deep breath – as five-times Roland Garros champion Steffi Graf gave the pair her seal of approval.

“Their physical condition is incredible, they move really well, take risks and really don’t have a weakness,” said the German admiringly.

Some stand almost in awe of the pair.

“I hope they’ll soon stop growing,” said Russian pin-up Anna Kournikova, who concedes Venus 16 CM and a whopping 22 kg.

And even Hingis, who beat Serena in the Rome quarters before falling to Venus in the semis, Admitted: “It’s difficult to beat the whole family!”

Venus is on a revenge mission this time out after losing to Hingis in the quarters last year, while Serena lost in three fourth-round sets to eventual winner Sanchez-Vicario.

Graf, meanwhile, in the twilight of her career — she turns 30 in June — is still the statistical yardstick for them all with her 21 Grand Slams and 106 career singles titles.

After the best part of two years blighted by injury this could be her final hurrah.

Last year, she didn’t compete here for the first time since 1983. But the German did reach the semis at the Chase Championships, putting out Seles, before falling to Davenport.

Australian finalist junior world champion, isn’t the same player who bowed out in the first round last year and she could just give the French their first female champion since Francoise Durr in 1967.

So too could Mary Pierce, who reached both Hamburg and Italian Open finals only to run into Venus Williams, who bagged her first clay titles.

Russia’s Kournikova, who reached the fourth round last year, also has sufficient talent to live with the best. Yet she still flatters to deceive, having yet to win a singles title. She will not be seeded, and neither will Mauresmo after a poor showing in Berlin.