WTA: June 13-18 2005 Hastings Direct Int'l, Eastbourne, GBR, Tier II $585,000 - outdoor: grass - 28 players Live Scores draws, .pdf Yahoo! "Eastbourne" photos: UK - US - WTA Photos UK Radar - London forecast - area map # 3 Amelie Mauresmo # 5 Svetlana Kuznetsova # 9 Alicia Molik # 10 Anastasia Myskina Ordina Open, 's-Hertogenbosch, NED Tier III with ATP $170,000 - outdoor: grass - 30 players Live Scores - draws, .pdf Yahoo! "Ordina" photos: US - WTA Photos Dutch weather radar - forecast # 6 Elena Dementieva # 8 Nadia Petrova, # 30 Anabel Medina Garrigues # 34 Dinara Safina

Tourney pages: Eastbourne-'s-Hertogenbosch: 2006 - 2004 - 2003 previous other tourney pages next Eastbourne: #17 Kim Clijsters 5' 8½", 150 lbs, RH, 2H-BH 's-Hertogenbosch: #42 Klara Koukalova 5' 5¼", 110 lbs, RH, 2H-BH

    On Saturday, in the final at Eastbourne, 22-year-old 7th-seeded # 17 (and former # 1, rising again after recovering from injuries) Kim Clijsters from Bree, Belgium, defeated 18-year-old qualifier # 54 Vera Douchevina from Khimki, Russia, 7-5, 6-0 (Kim is shown with the hardware after the match).
    Kim said: "I've definitely been feeling a lot more comfortable with my game on grass courts this week as the tournament's gone on It was a good decision to come here a week early after the French. I was very disappointed how I played there... The first set was tough today. [Vera] played very deep and I didn't serve that well. Once I broke back to 4-all in the first set, I started to find my rhythm and felt a lot better after that." WTA story
    Vera was playing in her first WTA final, and Vera and Kim had never before met in a WTA singles match. Vera said: "It was very interesting to play my first final today, and play against a good player like Kim. I started very well but I felt tired when the first set got to 5-all, and I think all the eight matches I've played in the last week have caught up with me. Kim played with much more power in the second set and it was very hard for me... My dream is to be Top 10 and hopefully win a Grand Slam some day. I know I play [Ana] Ivanovic at Wimbledon and this will be a very interesting match for me, since I played her on hardcourts in Dubai last time and won."

    Meanwhile, in the Ordina Open final at 's-Hertogenbosch, 23-year-old 8th-seeded # 42 Klara Koukalova from Prague, Czech Republic, won her first WTA singles title by defeating her compatriot from Brno, # 77 Lucie Safarova 3-6, 6-2, 6-2 (Klara is shown after match point, very happy, at last, to come out of a final as the victor).
    It was the first time Klara and Lucie had met in a WTA singles match, but they had been practicing together all week. Klara, who lost to Mary Pierce in the 2004 Ordina final, was unable to finish off Lucie until her 9th match point. Klara said: "I was a little bit nervous in the first set and did not play well at the beginning. This is my sixth final and I really wanted to win... I had so many match points, and I just couldn't do it. By the fourth one I was telling myself, 'If you don't get this, I'm going to be very mad. Come on!'" WTA story
    Lucie said: "Of course I'm a little disappointed that I didn't win, but I think I had a really good week and I'm happy with the way I played here. I played well in the first set, but then Klara started to play better and her serve improved. I got a little tired and just wasn't able to give my best in the end. Playing here was a good preparation for Wimbledon. After this week, I think grass is now my best surface."

Eastbourne
    22-year-old Kim Clijsters has now won 24 WTA singles titles in 37 finals. Kim reached the # 1 ranking in WTA singles in August 2003, and although she was displaced by her compatriot Justine Henin-Hardenne, retained a solid # 2 position. Then Kim seriously injured her left wrist in her 2nd round match at Indian Wells in March 2004, and when she returned to play in October, she incurred another, separate left wrist injury, which required surgery. Since returning to play in the Spring of 2005, Kim has been playing very, very well again.
    Kim swings an axe called a Babolat "Pure Drive Team", a terrifically popular 11.2 oz (strung) 27" bat balanced head-light with a 100 sq." string area & stiffness 70. Kim wears Fila togs, and is coached by Marc Dehous.
Clijsters career record - Kim Clijsters Wallpaper - Kim's official website

    18-year-old Vera Douchevina was born in Moscow and resides in a Moscow suburb, Khimki. She swings a Babolat Pure Control bat, and wears Tacchini togs, but with adidas shoes, (some players apparently do not wish to take chances with Tacchini shoes, since both Martina Hingis and Pete Sampras reportedly had injury problems associated with them). Vera, who started playing tennis at age 7, is coached by Irina Granaturova. Vera lists Kim Clisters as a player she most admires (along with Jennifer Capriati).
Douchevina career record

's-Hertogenbosch
    23-year-old Klara Koukalova was born and resides in Prague. Klara was 0-5 in previous WTA singles finals, so she was very happy to win this one (she has won 5 ITF singles titles). Klara wears Lacoste togs and has switched from a Wilson to a Fischer Pro Tour FT axe. She is a baseliner, used to prefer clay courts, but now favors grass for some strange reason, and likes her backhand. Klara is coached by David Kunst.
Koukalova career record

    18-year-old Lucie Safarova from Brno is 1-0 in previous WTA singles finals; she has won 4 ITF singles titles. Lucie has been playing since age 3; her favorite surface is clay. Lucie wears Nike and wields a Wilson wacket.
Safarova career record

    On Wednesday, June 15, at Eastbourne, # 9 Alicia Molik of Australia withdrew from both The Championships at Wimbledon and the Hastings Direct International. Alicia has suffered from impaired balance and vision since April due to a viral infection of the middle and inner ear called "vestibular neuronitis." Alicia lost her 1st round match at Birmingham last week, and decided to withdraw after feeling ill while losing her 1st round doubles match at Eastbourne on Tuesday. Alicia said: "I've realized I'm not fully recovered yet... The condition affects my balance, perception and vision and I haven't been able to play my usual serve-and-volley game as a result. It also makes me tired, so it's a number of things. I don't want to compete if I'm not feeling 100%, and at the moment I'm feeling around 70%... I've been told the recovery period for this condition can be up to six months, and it's only been two-and-a-half months for me. I think this is the best decision at this point. I'm not giving myself a time frame for my comeback this time... this time I'm going to take as long as I need."
    On Tuesday, # 14 Elena Bovina of Russia withdrew from Wimbledon (she had already withdrawn from 's-Hertogenbosch), due to an unspecified shoulder problem.

Eastbourne:
    The main draw for Eastbourne has 8 seeds, with 4 1st-round byes. There are 4 qualifiers in the main draw. Qualifying finals are on Monday.
    Eastbourne (daylight savings) time is GMT (UCT, ZULU) + 1 hour (US Pacific Daylight Time +8, EDT +5). Eastbourne has live scoring by points.

's-Hertogenbosch
    The main draw for 's-Hertogenbosch has 8 seeds, with 2 1st-round byes. There are no qualifying rounds at this tourney, thus no qualifiers. In the case of a withdrawal, they will find an "alternate" instead of a "lucky loser".
    's-Hertogenbosch time is GMT (UCT, ZULU) + 2 hours (US Pacific Daylight Time +9, EDT +6). The Ordina Open also has live scoring by points.

WTA SCOREBOARD: Eastbourne & 's-Hertogenbosch s=seed, #=rank, *=upset, LL=lucky loser ranks are for the previous week How do players get into the "draw"? The top 4 seeds, Anastasia Myskina, Amelie Mauresmo, Svetlana Kuznetsova, and Alicia Molik, posed for a snapshot on Monday before submitting themselves to reporter's grueling questions like "How come Svetlana's initials aren't A.M.?"

Eastbourne, 1st Rd, Mon-Tues 11:30am losers' prize: $4,025 US; points: 1 #12 s5 Vera Zvonareva RUS d #31 Nicole Vaidisova CZE 6-3, 6-2 Mon Vera Zvonareva *#33 Marion Bartoli FRA d #15 s6 Elena Likhovtseva RUS 7-6(8), 6-2 Tue #17 s7 Kim Clijsters BEL d #20 Jelena Jankovic SCG 6-1, 7-6(2) Tue Kim Clijsters     Kim arrived at Eastbourne a week early to practice on the grass. Kim said: "I have really enjoyed it. It's been fun -- I could do my own thing and didn't have to worry about anyone else." Reuters story #18 s8 Nathalie Dechy FRA d #221 wc Amanda Janes GBR 6-1, 6-1 Mon *#56 LL Maria Vento-Kabchi VEN d #22 Daniela Hantuchova SVK 6-2, 4-6, 6-4 Tue Maria Vento-Kabchi *#36 Virginie Razzano FRA d #24 Silvia Farina Elia ITA 6-3, 4-6, 6-4 Tue *#50 LL Lisa Raymond USA d #25 Shinobu Asagoe JPN 6-1, 6-2 Tue *#32 Amy Frazier USA d #26 Ai Sugiyama JPN 4-6, 7-5, 6-4 Tue *#97 q Roberta Vinci ITA d #28 Karolina Sprem CRO 6-3, 4-6, 6-3 Tue *#44 q Anna Chakvetadze RUS d #38 Magdalena Maleeva BUL 6(0)-7, 6-1, 6-2 Tue #47 wc Conchita Martinez ESP d #121 wc Elena Baltacha GBR 7-5, 2-6, 6-1 Tue Conchita Martinez #54 q Vera Douchevina RUS v #58 q Katarina Srebotnik SLO 1-6, 6-2, 5-2 Tue

Eastbourne, 2nd Rd, Weds 11:30am WTA story - AFP story - AP story losers' prize: $7,600 US; points: 25 *#54 q Vera Douchevina RUS d #3 s1 Amelie Mauresmo FRA 6-4, 6-4 Vera Douchevina     Amelie said: "[Vera] was obviously playing better than me today, but I was not happy with my form. I was hoping to have a better preparation for Wimbledon, and get a few matches here, but it was difficult to find my rhythm today. I was feeling good in practice, but it wasn't there in the match. She had much more match practice on grass than me, coming through the qualifying." #5 s2 Svetlana Kuznetsova RUS d #44 q Anna Chakvetadze RUS 1-6, 6-4, 7-6(5) Anna's forehand, Svetlana's backhand     The weather was cold, and the match was delayed for 2 hours by rain. Svetlana said: "It was difficult conditions and when you're not used to it, it's very hard. But it wasn't just the conditions. Everything was working against me -- [Anna is] younger than me, she has no pressure and just came to the court to play."     Anna led 5-4 in the 3rd and served for the match, but couldn't hold. Svetlana said: "I think it was obvious she was nervous serving for the match at 5-4. I think I have an advantage with my experience, and that helped me to win this match. Last year when I won the title I had a few three-set matches, so I know how to handle the pressure here." #10 s4 Anastasia Myskina RUS d #56 LL Maria Vento-Kabchi VEN 6-4, 5-7, 6-0 Anastasia Myskina     2004 French Open champ Anastasia was upset in the 1st round at Roland Garros 3 weeks ago, so this was her first singles match in quite some time. Anastasia said: "I'm so happy. My game was good, I'm just very happy for the next match. I've trained hard here since last Thursday, the weather was great then, and I had a lot of chances to hit the ball."     About her next opponent, Roberta Vinci, Anastasia said: "Roberta is a qualifier, but she's played a lot of matches this week, so she's going to have some good form. I'm going to have to play well and take my chances." *#97 q Roberta Vinci ITA d #12 s5 Vera Zvonareva RUS 6-2, 7-6(5) Roberta Vinci #17 s7 Kim Clijsters BEL d #47 wc Conchita Martinez ESP 6-2, 6-2 Kim Clijsters     Kim said: "It was tough to judge how my game was today because [Conchita] gives you no rhythm. The scoreline looks easy but it was definitely tough; I had to really battle out there. Her slice backhand was staying really low and her serve is difficult to return, even if it isn't the fastest one out there. I was pretty disappointed with my results on clay, so I was determined to come here and play well on grass." #18 s8 Nathalie Dechy FRA d #32 Amy Frazier USA 4-6, 6-3, 6-3 #33 Marion Bartoli FRA d #50 LL Lisa Raymond USA 6-3, 6-4 *#62 LL Mashona Washington USA d #36 Virginie Razzano FRA 7-6(4), 6-4

Eastbourne, QFs, Thurs 11:30am WTA story losers' prize: $14,100 US; points: 49 #5 s2 Svetlana Kuznetsova RUS d #18 s8 Nathalie Dechy FRA 6-4, 7-5 Svetlana Kuznetsova     Svetlana said: "I played a lot better than yesterday, that's for sure. There were still lots of ups and downs today, but when I was down in the second set I kept fighting... I'm getting a lot more used to the conditions. I really enjoy the atmosphere here; after winning the title last year I feel I've got a good connection with the public. I like entertaining them and making them happy. My goal is to play my best and enjoy the game." *#97 q Roberta Vinci ITA d #10 s4 Anastasia Myskina RUS 6-4, 7-6(3) Thu-rain-Fri     Anastasia said: "I don't think I was too bad today. I had already lost the first set, so it was no point worrying about that this morning but although I improved a little I still need to find my game... I've been losing so many matches that one more doesn't make that much difference at the moment. But I really do want to play again now, and I'll try do my best at Wimbledon." story #17 s7 Kim Clijsters BEL v #62 LL Mashona Washington USA 6-2, 6-2 Kim after match point     Kim said: "I'm feeling more and more comfortable on the grass. I've been practicing here for a while, so it's been nice to have some matches to play."     About her next match, against fellow Fila-ite Svetlana Kuznetsova, Kim said: "We know each other really well, and have good practice sessions together. But as I always say, I'm going to play the ball and not the opponent. For the moment, I'm thinking about my next match, not about winning the tournament yet." *#54 q Vera Douchevina RUS d #33 Marion Bartoli FRA 0-5 retired--     left foot strain

Eastbourne, SFs, Fri 11:30am WTA story losers' prize: $26,500 US; points: 88 *#17 s7 Kim Clijsters BEL d #5 s2 Svetlana Kuznetsova RUS 6-4, 3-6, 6-4 Kim Clijsters     Kim said: "It was a strange match lots of ups and downs. I started off really well, then my forehand went off a bit in the second set but I got it back well in the third. When I broke [Svetlana] in the first game, I served really well after that.     "The courts here [at Devonshire Park] are terrific; they're at a really high standard. I've been very happy with the number of matches I've played this week, and it's definitely a great preparation for Wimbledon." #54 q Vera Douchevina RUS d #97 q Roberta Vinci ITA 2-6, 7-6(6), 6-3 Vera Douchevina     Vera said: "I'm really happy to be in my first final, and to come back from a set and 5-3 down to beat a player who was playing very good grass court tennis. This has been a terrific week for me. I have nothing to lose tomorrow and am just going to go out there to do my best."

Eastbourne, Final, Sat 11:30am loser's prize: $49,500 US; points: 137 winner's prize: $93,000 US; points: 195 #17 s7 Kim Clijsters BEL d #54 q Vera Douchevina RUS 7-5, 6-0 Kim and Vera

Eastbourne, Doubles Final, Sat losers' prize: $15,600 US winners' prize: $29,000 US cdr16 s2 Lisa Raymond & Rennae Stubbs d cdr 21 s3 Elena Likhovtseva & Vera Zvonareva 6-3, 7-5 Rennae, Lisa, Elena, and Vera Eastbourne, Qual Finals, Mon Jun 13 #44 Anna Chakvetadze RUS d #110 Tatiana Perebiynis UKR 6-1, 4-6, 6-1 *#58 Katarina Srebotnik SLO d #50 Lisa Raymond USA 6-4, 6-0 #54 Vera Douchevina RUS d #62 Mashona Washington USA 6-1, 6-4 *#97 Roberta Vinci ITA d #56 Maria Vento-Kabchi VEN 6-0, 6-4 Eastbourne, Withdrawals #9 s3 Alicia Molik AUS inner ear infection #21 Ana Ivanovic SCG back strain #29 Flavia Pennetta ITA ankle #126 Chanda Rubin USA chronic left knee

's-Hertogenbosch, 1st Rd, Mon-Tues Noon losers' prize: $1,400 US; points: 1 #30 s3 Anabel Medina Garrigues ESP v #52 Iveta Benesova CZE 6-4, 7-6(5) Tue #34 s4 Dinara Safina RUS d #63 Shahar Peer ISR 6-2, 6-1 Tue *#77 Lucie Safarova CZE d #35 s5 N Llagostera Vives ESP 6(5)-7, 7-6(5), 6-4 Tue #37 s6 Gisela Dulko ARG d #45 Dally Randriantefy MAD 6-4, 6-1 Tue #41 s7 Anna-Lena Groenefeld GER d #71 Alina Jidkova RUS 6-3, 6-2 Mon #42 s8 Klara Koukalova CZE d #48 Marta Domachowska POL 3-6, 6-4, 6-3 Mon Match photos have thus far been unobtainable, but Klara looked very nice (on Tuesday?) posing with the "Greenery strawberry girls" *#65 Maria Elena Camerin ITA d #49 Samantha Stosur AUS 7-6, 6-1 Tue #53 Maria Kirilenko RUS d #60 Kveta Peschke CZE 6-4, 6-3 Tue *#58 Meghann Shaughnessy USA d #57 Anna Smashnova ISR 6-2, 6-4 Mon *#71 Mariana Diaz-Oliva ARG d #59 Jelena Kostanic CRO 1-6, 6-2, 6-3 Tue #69 Denisa Chladkova CZE d #202 Aravane Rezai FRA 3-6, 6-4, 6-4 Mon #79 Virginia Ruano Pascual ESP d #106 Evie Dominikovic AUS 6-4, 3-6, 6-4 Mon *#99 wc Michaëlla Krajicek NED d #84 Ludmila Cervanova SVK 6-1, 6-3 Tue 16-year-old 2004 US Open Juniors champ Michaella met the press on Monday to announce that she and her retired ATP pro half-brother Richard (the 1996 Wimbledon singles champ) would be playing mixed doubles together at Wimbledon this year #166 Claudine Schaul LUX v NR wc Martina Navratilova USA 4-6, 6-1, 6-4 Mon

's-Hertogenbosch, 2nd Rd, Tues-Weds WTA Weds story losers' prize: $2,500 US; points: 16 *#69 Denisa Chladkova CZE d #6 s1 Elena Dementieva RUS 5-5 retired-- r shoulder strain Tue Elena Dementieva     Elena led 4-1, then felt a sharp pain in her right shoulder while hitting a forehand. She tried to continue, but retired from the match after losing 4 of the next 5 games. Elena said: "It was just too difficult to play on... I don't know how bad it is. I will go to hospital to find out if it's a strain or whatever, but I don't know if I'll be able to play at Wimbledon. I'm very upset right now. I was warm enough, but I was just hitting a forehand and felt a sudden pain on the front of my shoulder."     Elena had been working with former Wimbledon champion Richard Krajicek on her serve this week, but she did not think that had anything to do with the injury. Elena said: "We didn't do anything different... I was working really hard for a couple of days and he really helped me a lot. I just think it's one of those grasscourt things, with the bad bounces...     "I think my game is in much better shape than at the French Open. Sometimes when you're feeling good, bad things happen to you... I felt really good and ready to play well here and at Wimbledon, and now I don't know if I'll be able to. I have never had anything like this before."     Elena got a scan of the shoulder immediately, which revealed that the injury was a strain, not a tear. Elena said: "For the moment it's difficult to say if I'm [definitely] going to be able to play at Wimbledon, but I'm trying to be optimistic. The results of my test show that I have a right shoulder strain. I hope that I can play but I'll have to wait and see how it feels over the next few days. I'm going to take care of it and do as much training as possible." Reuters story #8 s2 Nadia Petrova RUS d #71 Mariana Diaz-Oliva ARG 6-3, 6-4     Nadia said: "It was a good first match. I feel like I played well. I've been here since last week practicing on these courts and it was nice to play a match." *#99 wc Michaëlla Krajicek NED d #30 s3 Anabel Medina Garrigues ESP 6-3, 3-6, 6-2 Michaella during the match, and doing her bit for WTA Tour sponsor SonyEricsson     Michaella said: "I'm really happy that I won today because I need more matches, especially on grass. I was a little nervous in the third set because it was really windy and I missed some easy balls. It's important for me to get more ranking points and get into bigger tournaments." #34 s4 Dinara Safina RUS d #53 Maria Kirilenko RUS 6-4, 7-6(2) #37 s6 Gisela Dulko ARG d #65 Maria Elena Camerin ITA 6-3, 6-0 *#58 Meghann Shaughnessy USA d #41 s7 A-L Groenefeld GER 7-6, 3-6, 3-0 retired-- right thigh strain #42 s8 Klara Koukalova CZE d #166 Claudine Schaul LUX 6-4, 4-6, 6-0 #77 Lucie Safarova CZE d #79 Virginia Ruano Pascual ESP 6-1, 6-1

's-Hertogenbosch, QFs, Thurs WTA story losers' prize: $4,500 US; points: 30 *#37 s6 Gisela Dulko ARG d #8 s2 Nadia Petrova RUS 6-4, 4-6, 6-3 Gisela Dulko     Gisela said: "I'm very happy with my game today. It was my first good match on grass. It was tough but I just kept trying to play my game and return all her balls... Tomorrow will be a tough match against Safarova, but I'm looking forward to it. I hope I can play like I did today." *#77 Lucie Safarova CZE d #34 s4 Dinara Safina RUS 6-4, 6-4 Lucie test-drove one of WTA sponsor Whirlpool's fine products on Thursday #42 s8 Klara Koukalova CZE d #69 Denisa Chladkova CZE 6-3, 6-3 #58 Meghann Shaughnessy USA d #99 wc Michaëlla Krajicek NED 3-4 retired-- right lateral knee injury Michaella Krajicek     A scan showed that Michaella has a torn meniscus (cartilage) in her right knee. 2004 US Open Juniors champ Michaella had been granted a wild card into the main draw at Wimbledon, and had also been granted a wild card into the mixed doubles draw to play alongside her half-brother Richard (the 1996 Wimbledon men's singles champ, since retired). Now Michaella has to withdraw; she will have surgery next week instead, and will probably be out for at least a month.     Michaella said: "I went over a little on my ankle and when I tried to catch myself I did something to my right knee... This is the worst day of my life... Nobody died and worse things happen, but my [Wimbledon] dream is over." WTA story - Reuters story     A year ago, at the same tourney, Michaella retired from her 1st round match when she collapsed on the court with stomach cramps.

's-Hertogenbosch, SFs, Fri WTA story losers' prize: $8,200 US; points: 55 *#77 Lucie Safarova CZE d #37 s6 Gisela Dulko ARG 6-3 6-3 Lucie Safarova     Lucie said: "I think it was a good game. I felt like I served pretty well. I wasn't very nervous. I'm very happy with my tournament this week. Every round that I win and play in is good, because it's the furthest I have ever gotten on grass."     About facing her compatriot Klara Koukalova in the final, Lucie said: "I think the final tomorrow will be good. We have been practicing together all week, and I know that she hits the ball very hard, so I will have to play a good match to win." #42 s8 Klara Koukalova CZE d #58 Meghann Shaughnessy USA 6-1, 7-5 Klara Koukalova     Klara said: "Today I was a little nervous before my match because I knew that Meghann has a very good serve and I had to focus on returning it. The first set went very quickly. I played well but I was also lucky that she didn't hit many big serves... I like this tournament very much. I wanted to win this match and be able to play in another final. Right now, grass is definitely my best surface."

's-Hertogenbosch, Final, Sat loser's prize: $14,500 US; points: 85 winner's prize: $27,000 US; points: 120 #42 s8 Klara Koukalova CZE d #77 Lucie Safarova CZE 3-6, 6-2, 6-2 Klara launching a backhand, and Lucie & Klara with their goodies afterward

's-Hertogenbosch, Doubles Final, Sat losers' prize: $4,450 US winners' prize: $8,000 US cdr49 s3 Anabel Medina Garrigues & Dinara Safina d cdr113 Iveta Benesova & Nuria Llagostera Vives 6-4, 2-6, 7-6(11) 's-Hertogenbosch, Withdrawals #11 Patty Schnyder SUI #13 Mary Pierce FRA #14 Elena Bovina RUS #55 Paola Suarez ARG left hip #432 Maja Matevzic SLO

2004 Eastbourne & 's-Hertogenbosch tourney page

from Hard Courts by John Feinstein (page 297):     The women have played a Wimbledon warm-up tournament at Eastbourne since the nineteenth century, after all these years still playing at the same site, Devonshire Park.     Eastbourne is two hours southeast of London, an easy train ride or a harrowing drive along narrow country roads. It sits on the English Channel and is the English version of St. Petersburg [Florida], a small resort town where a substantial part of the population is over the age of seventy.     Devonshire Park is a two-hundred-yard walk from the beach, a veritable melting pot of the tennis world. The old is very much in evidence: the north stand, which was built in 1881, is often filled with septuagenarians who have been coming here for as long as anyone can remember. Towering oak trees rise up behind the north stand and sea gulls often swoop by noisily, distracting the players.     Two things make Eastbourne different than other tournaments. First, it is a six-day tournament, ending Saturday...     The second thing that makes Eastbourne unique is the player party. Every tennis tournament in the world has a player party. On the women's tour, WTA public relations and marketing people as well as their counterparts at Kraft and Virginia Slims usually spend the first few days at each tournament trying to round up players to come to the party. For the players, one more party with one more group of sponsors telling them how wonderful they are is boring, a time-waster. They understand they have to do their share to keep these people happy, but they don't enjoy it very much.     Eastbourne is different because of the talent show. The players--even Navratilova--show up because they expect the show to be funny. The person most responsible for making it funny every year is Elsie Burgin, director, writer, and star.     This year's [1990's] show was built around a mock game show...     ...Most of this was very inside humor. If you weren't part of the women's tour in some way, the jokes meant little. [Sophie] Amiach broke the crowd up with her Stefano Capriati imitation: "I deserve the credit," she said. "I produce the child. I teach the child. I coach the child. I am the star." To his credit, Stefano Capriati laughed as hard as anyone...

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