WTA: June 19-25 2006 Hastings Direct Int'l, Eastbourne, GBR, Tier II $600,000 - outdoor: grass - 28 players Live Scores - BBC live audio during matches draws, .pdf Yahoo! "Eastbourne" photos: US - UK - WTA Photos Eastbourne: UK weather radar - forecast - area map # 1 Amelie Mauresmo, # 2 Kim Clijsters # 3 Justine Henin-Hardenne, # 6 Svetlana Kuznetsova Ordina Open, 's-Hertogenbosch, NED Tier III with ATP $175,000 - outdoor: grass - 30 players Live Scores draws, .pdf - draws, .html Yahoo! "Ordina" photos: US - WTA Photos Krajicek & Schultz-McCarthy interview videos in Dutch Dutch weather radar - forecast - map # 8 Elena Dementieva, # 17 Dinara Safina # 19 Flavia Pennetta, # 20 Maria Kirilenko

Tourney pages: Eastbourne-'s-Hertogenbosch: 2005 - 2004 - 2003 previous other tourney pages next Eastbourne: #11 Anastasia Myskina 5' 8½", 130½ lbs, RH, 2H-BH     #3 Justine Henin-Hardenne 5' 5¾", 126 lbs, RH, 1H-BH

    On Saturday at Eastbourne, in the final of the Hastings Direct International, the 2006 French Open champ, 24-year-old 3rd-seeded # 3 Justine Henin-Hardenne of Belgium (who last year moved to Monte Carlo, Monaco), narrowly defeated the 2004 French Open champ, 24-year-old 5th-seeded # 11 Anastasia Myskina from Moscow, Russia, 4-6, 6-1, 7-6(5) (Anastasia and Justine are shown with the goodies after the match).

    Justine took a 4-2 lead in the 1st set before Anastasia took control, winning the next four games to take the set. But in the 2nd set, Anastasia was broken immediately on a double fault, and after holding Justine broke Anastasia's serve again at love. In the third set both players dropped serve twice. With Anastasia serving at 4-5, Justine held three match points but could not convert. In the tiebreaker, Justine finally won on her fifth match point.

    Justine said: "I was too defensive in the first set, even at 4-2. At the beginning of the second set I came forward more and attacked...
    "Anastasia never gives up and she's a real fighter... Anastasia is back to her best, I saw her practice and she has a great game for grass. She tried everything, played a great match and she could have won it."
    About her preparation for Wimbledon, Justine said: "I saw very good things, I saw things I can improve. But a Grand Slam is another kind of tournament." BBC story - tourney story

    Anastasia said: "I tried my best but Justine's a great player... It was a great tournament for me, and I played really, really well and showed that I can have a great year. I’m hungry, I want to win again and I’m pretty close to my best form. I’ve been working really hard, I’ve got a bigger team around me and everything is good...
    "I think I can compete with any of the girls that are going to play next week [at Wimbledon]. But the first round is always tough, it doesn't matter who you play." AP story - Reuters story

    Justine is now 27-13 in WTA singles finals; Anastasia is 10-8. Justine leads Anastasia 8-2 in career matches, but even when she has lost, Anastasia has taken Justine to a close three-setter about every other match, just as she did this time.

Meanwhile, outside Rosmalen, The Netherlands, near 's-Hertogenbosch (aka Den Bosch), in the final of the Ordina Open, the 2004 US Open juniors champ, 17-year-old unseeded # 49 Michaella Krajicek from Almere, The Netherlands, completed the best week of her career by defeating 2nd-seeded 20-year-old # 17 Dinara Safina of Russia (who like Justine Henin-Hardenne moved last year to Monte Carlo, Monaco), 6-3, 6-4 (Michaella is shown after match point).     Michaella said: "I'm happy the way I served... When the match started, I felt very confident. I was not nervous like I was yesterday. I didn't have anything to lose so I went for it. I felt very free to make my shots."     Dinara said: "[Michaella] played very well. But I'm very disappointed. I made it too easy for her. She noticed that I was struggling with my shots and she took advantage of that. She's a great player, and she did what you should do to win." WTA story

    Michaella, whose half-brother Richard Krajicek won the 1996 Wimbledon title, is now 3-0 in WTA singles finals, winning this year in Hobart and last year in Tashkent. Dinara, whose brother Marat Safin won the 2005 Australian Open, is 4-3 in WTA singles finals; her most recent win was last year in the Paris indoor tourney.

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.     Play at Eastbourne begin at 1pm  local time. 's-Hertogenbosch time  equals Eastbourne plus 1 hour.     's-Hertogenbosch: The main draw for 's-Hertogenbosch has 8 seeds, with 2 1st-round byes. In previous years there were no qualifying rounds; this year 4 qualifiers are in the main draw.     's-Hertogenbosch time is GMT (UCT, ZULU) + 2 hours (US Pacific Daylight Time +9, EDT +6).     Eastbourne, England - click for LO-RES sat pic & street map   's-Hertogenbosch/Rosmalen area - click for LO-RES sat pic & street map

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"? 2005 Eastbourne champ Kim Clijsters addressed members of the media on Monday

Eastbourne, 1st Rd, Mon-Tue 11:30am WTA stories: Mon - Tue losers' prize: $4,175 US; points: 1 #11 s5 Anastasia Myskina RUS d #86 q Jarmila Gajdosova SVK 6-3, 6-0 Tue Anastasia's backhand drive     Anastasia said: "For my first match on grass, I was really happy. I had a bit of a slow start, but that's normal since I’ve been playing on clay for so long now. It was a little windy today, but I think I handled the conditions well." #14 s6 Francesca Schiavone ITA d #232 wc Katie O'Brien GBR 6-3, 6-1 Mon     Francesca said: "It was a little windy out there today. So it was difficult to get my rhythm, but I felt I did everything quite well. I had a good week last week in Birmingham, so I hope I can keep playing well this week, and of course at Wimbledon."     Katie said: "It was a tough match for me, but I could have been a lot more positive, especially in the second set. My head went down a bit.     "This is my first year on the circuit after playing Challengers and I thought I worked hard but when you see the intensity and the intent of the top girls like Francesca you know there is a lot more to do.     "Sometimes we are fed things with a silver spoon in British tennis but you have to go for it yourself at this level. I know I've still got a lot to learn." PA Sport story #16 s7 Anna-Lena Groenefeld GER d #27 Marion Bartoli FRA 2-6, 6-4, 6-2 Tue *#29 Elena Likhovtseva RUS d #18 s8 Daniela Hantuchova SVK 6-4, 7-6(3) Mon Daniela reaching for a backhand, and Elena driving one #21 Nathalie Dechy FRA d #24 Shahar Peer ISR 6-1, 6-4 Mon #22 Ai Sugiyama JPN d #25 Katarina Srebotnik SLO 7-6(5), 4-6, 5-1 retired-- dislocated right thumb Mon     Ai said: "It’s never nice to finish a match in that way. It was a good match before [Katarina] hurt her hand. I hope she’s okay for Wimbledon next week. I was pretty happy with the way I played today." *#78 Vera Zvonareva RUS d #31 Anna Chakvetadze RUS 7-6(3), 6(2)-7, 6-2 Tue     Vera won her first title since 2004 at Birmingham on Sunday. Vera said: "It's great to be able to come here from Birmingham, where I had such a great week, and win another match. It's obviously giving me a lot of confidence going in to Wimbledon. I was disappointed to lose the second set, after I had some chances to win in straight, but I'm proud of the way I pulled it all together again." *#48 Jill Craybas USA d #34 Sofia Arvidsson SWE 6-3, 6-1 Tue *#72 q Shenay Perry USA d #37 Catalina Castano COL 6-3, 6-4 Tue *#47 Kveta Peschke CZE d #39 Mara Santangelo ITA 6-4, 4-6, 7-5 Tue #40 Vera Dushevina RUS d #145 wc Anne Keothavong GBR 6-1, 6-3 Tue Vera driving a backhand, and Anne fielding a low ball #67 q Akiko Morigami JPN d #82 q Lisa Raymond USA 6-4, 6-4 Tue The photogs thus far at Eastbourne have exhibited a bad case of serve&forehandphobia-- so here are Lisa & Akiko doing that backhand thing

Eastbourne, 2nd Rd, Tue-Wed 11:30am losers' prize: $7,820 US; points: 25 *#21 Nathalie Dechy FRA d #1 s1 Amelie Mauresmo FRA 3-6, 6-2, 6-3 Wed Amelie swatting the ball while flying netward, Nathalie demonstrating the meaning of "racquet back" while about to lightly tap a backhand, Natahlie driving a backhand, and while hitting balls to the crowd after match point     Nathalie had never before defeated a # 1 player; she has defeated players ranked # 3 twice (Kim Clijsters and Anastasia Myskina). Nathalie is now 2-2 against Amelie, but the other time Nathalie defeated her, at Hilton Head in 1999, Amelie was ranked # 14. Dechy career record     High winds gave the players trouble. Nathalie said: "It's a special win. It's the first time I beat the No. 1 player. For [Amelie] it was the first match on grass and, in these tough conditions, I knew it was not easy. I had that on my mind and knew if I was really consistent and going for my shots it would work." AP story     Amelie said: "Nothing was going right in the [last] two sets. I guess there are a few things to adjust." #2 s2 Kim Clijsters BEL d #78 Vera Zvonareva RUS 3-0 retired-- right achilles strain? Wed Vera slicing a forehand, Kim's backhand, and Vera at courtside while the trainer looks at her right foot     Vera fell at the end of the 2nd game, and found she could not continue during the third. Although the WTA, as of this writing, says Vera strained her right achilles, Kim reports that Vera said is was a toe problem.     Kim said: "I asked [Vera] if was because of the fall, but she said she hurt her toes last week [in Birmingham, where Vera won the title]. They were taped up already and a little bit sore.     "It's disappointing. I was hitting the ball well and really enjoying it out there. It's a shame it has to happen like this." #3 s3 Justine Henin-Hardenne BEL d #47 Kveta Peschke CZE 6-2, 6-1 Wed Kveta's backhand drive, Justine firing a forehand, and Justine after match point     Justine said: "It's not easy to play your first match on grass, but with these [windy] conditions it makes the mission more and more difficult. It was tough to find a good rhythm, but I could show pretty good things today, especially in the second set." #6 s4 Svetlana Kuznetsova RUS d #22 Ai Sugiyama JPN 1-6, 6-1, 6-2 Tue Svetlana and Ai launching backhands, and Svetlana after winning a point (match point?)     Svetlana said: "I started off very slowly today. It took me a while to get used to the grass, and [Ai is] a dangerous opponent. It was similar to last year here in the first round, and I had a slow start and in my last four matches at the French, too. It took me a while to get awake." #11 s5 Anastasia Myskina RUS d #48 Jill Craybas USA 6-4, 6-4 Wed #14 s6 Francesca Schiavone ITA d #67 q Akiko Morigami JPN 6-0, 6-2 Wed #16 s7 Anna-Lena Groenefeld GER d #40 Vera Dushevina RUS 6-4, 6-1 Wed #29 Elena Likhovtseva RUS d #72 q Shenay Perry USA 4-6, 6-1, 6-3 Wed

Eastbourne, QFs, Thurs 11:30am losers' prize: $14,600 US; points: 49 #2 s2 Kim Clijsters BEL d #14 s6 Francesca Schiavone ITA 6-2, 6-1 Kim with a low backhand drive     Francesca is now 0-11 against Kim, and has never taken a set from her. Kim said: "It was not possible to play your best tennis out there. The wind was just changing the ball the whole time, it was just swirling around... [Francesca] made a lot of mistakes and missed a lot of easy shots because of the wind." AP story     Kim will play Justine Henin-Hardenne in the semifinals on Friday. Both are irresistable forces and immovable objects. They are tied at 10-10 in career matches. Justine won the last time they played, a couple of weeks ago in the semis at Roland Garros, 6-3, 6-2. That was on clay, Justine's favorite surface. Kim won their previous match, last year's in Toronto final, on a hardcourt (which Kim prefers), 7-5, 6-1. On chlorophyll courts, they are tied 1-1.     About suggestions of any antagonism between them, Kim said: "Just because we are different personalities it doesn't mean to say I don't like Justine... We've had a fun time this week here and also at Fed Cup matches... People don't see how we talk in the locker rooms because it is all behind the scenes." PA Sport story #3 s3 Justine Henin-Hardenne BEL d #29 Elena Likhovtseva RUS 6-2, 6-4 Justine winding up for a forehand, Elena driving a backhand, and Justine volleying one     Early in the 2nd set, Justine felt pain in her right knee when she slid on the grass while reaching for a shot. Justine said: "I was a little bit scared when that happened. I over-stretched, I slid a little bit and it was really painful for 30 seconds, but not really serious, I think. I didn't feel anything more in the match." Reuters story     About her semifinal opponent, Kim Clijsters, Justine said: "We may never go out to dinner together after matches but we've never missed the respect between each other. It is tough between all the players on tour, but no more so between Kim and I." #6 s4 Svetlana Kuznetsova RUS d #16 s7 Anna-Lena Groenefeld GER 5-7, 7-5, 7-6(4) Svetlana staring down a backhand, and Anna-Lena swinging at one #11 s5 Anastasia Myskina RUS d #21 Nathalie Dechy FRA 6-4, 6-4 Anastasia dispatching a forehand, and Nathalie and 'Nastia driving backhands

Eastbourne, SFs, Fri 11:30am WTA story losers' prize: $27,300 US; points: 88 *#3 s3 Justine Henin-Hardenne BEL d #2 s2 Kim Clijsters BEL 6-3, 5-7, 6-1 Justine firing a forehand, Kim driving a backhand, Kim asking her Babolat Pure Drive "What was that?" Justine launching a backhand, and after match point     Justine said: "I was very happy with the first and third sets I played today. In the second set, I was too far from my baseline and that allowed Kim to dictate with her power... There was a very important piece of luck for me in the third set, when Kim had a break point to come back to 3-2, and my shot hit the net and barely came over; that was very lucky."     Kim said: "Justine's very tough to play on the grass; her slice stays so low. It's very hard to do anything with your shot, and her serve was very difficult to break. It was a bit like playing Lindsay Davenport today, not with the power on her strokes, but how few chances you get." *#11 s5 Anastasia Myskina RUS d #6 s4 Svetlana Kuznetsova RUS 6-2, 2-6, 6-4 Anastasia checking the label to make sure the ball is a genuine Slazenger while swatting a forehand, Svetlana's floating backhand volley, Anastasia driving for the 18th green, and after match point     Anastasia said: "It was my best match this year. I was really aggressive and hit the ball really clean. I was really nervous at the end because I was up 2-0, 4-2 and then Sveta won two games and I was a little bit shaky." AP story

Eastbourne, Final, Sat 1pm loser's prize: $51,000 US; points: 137 winner's prize: $95,500 US; points: 195 #3 s3 Justine Henin-Hardenne BEL d #11 s5 Anastasia Myskina RUS 4-6, 6-1, 7-6(5) Justine's service toss and a forehand, Anastasia's backhand drive, Justine slicing a backhand, and both at net after match point

Eastbourne, Doubles Final, Sat losers' prize: $16,120 US winners' prize: $30,000 US *cdr59 Svetlana Kuznetsova & Amelie Mauresmo d cdr31 s4 Martina Navratilova & Liezel Huber 6-2, 6-4 Amelie, Svetlana, Liezel, and Martina Eastbourne, Qual Finals, Mon Jun 19 losers' prize: $2,230 US *#86 Jarmila Gajdosova SVK d #52 Samantha Stosur AUS 7-5, 6-4 *#72 Shenay Perry USA d #61 Martina Sucha SVK 6-2, 6-2 Shenay about to slice a backhand #67 Akiko Morigami JPN d #198 Margit Ruutel EST 7-5, 6-3 #82 Lisa Raymond USA d #103 Olga Savchuk UKR 6-2, 6-3 Eastbourne, Withdrawals #5 Nadia Petrova RUS right hip #13 Nicole Vaidisova CZE avoiding pre-Wimbledon injury #33 Tatiana Golovin FRA left ankle

's-Hertogenbosch, 1st Rd, Sun-Mon noon losers' prize: $1,400 US; points: 1 *#49 Michaella Krajicek NED d #19 s3 Flavia Pennetta ITA 7-5, 6-3 Mon Michaella dispensing balls to the crowd after the match *#517 q Paola Suarez ARG d #20 s4 Maria Kirilenko RUS 6-4, 6-3 Mon #23 s5 Ana Ivanovic SCG d #256 wc Alicia Molik 6-1, 3-6, 6-2 Sun Ana's forehand *#66 Marta Domachowska POL d #26 s6 Anabel Medina Garrigues ESP 3-6, 6-3, 6-1 Mon #28 s7 Gisela Dulko ARG d #92 q Mariana Diaz-Oliva ARG 6-1, 7-6(3) Mon Gisela posed with the new Love Food cookbook--which has recipes from WTA players--on Sunday #30 s8 Jelena Jankovic SCG d #559 wc Marrit Boonstra NED 6-3, 6-0 Tue *#57 q Alona Bondarenko UKR d #32 Na Li CHN 1-1 retired--neck sprain Tue #36 Klara Koukalova CZE d #87 q Virginia Ruano Pascual ESP 6-4, 6-3 Mon *#70 Eleni Daniilidou GRE d #38 Jie Zheng CHN 6-4, 6-1 Mon *#50 Iveta Benesova CZE d #41 Sania Mirza IND 7-6(7), 2-6, 6-4 Sun *#54 Maria Elena Camerin ITA d #69 LL Maret Ani EST 7-5, 0-6, 6-0 Mon #58 Jelena Kostanic CRO d #231 ITF-Gifu Erika Takao JPN 6-3, 6-3 Sun *#63 Elena Vesnina RUS d #59 Julia Schruff GER 6-2, 6-3 Mon Elena relaxed with a little beach tennis on Sunday, and on Monday posed with the WTA's new Love Food cookbook *#596 wc Brenda Schultz-McCarthy NED d #60 Laura Granville USA 7-5, 6-3 Sun Brenda opted to test the turf while playing a point

's-Hertogenbosch, 2nd Rd, Tue-Wed WTA story: Tue losers' prize: $2,525 US; points: 16 #8 s1 Elena Dementieva RUS d #63 Elena Vesnina RUS 6-1, 4-6, 6-4 Wed     Elena said: "It wasn't easy. I played my first grasscourt match and it just takes time to adjust to the surface. It's amazing how quick the situation can change. You have to be focused on every single point." Reuters story #17 s2 Dinara Safina RUS d #54 Maria Elena Camerin ITA 4-6, 6-2, 6-1 Tue     Dinara said: "I think that for my first match on grass, I played well. [Maria Elena] was a tough opponent, and I was happy that I could fight through. She didn't give me any free points. She moves very well, so I had to play well against her to win. I didn't play so great in the first set, but I kept fighting. I think I served well and used my drop shots well." #23 s5 Ana Ivanovic SCG d #50 Iveta Benesova CZE 6-3, 7-5 Wed *#70 Eleni Daniilidou GRE d #28 s7 Gisela Dulko ARG 6-3, 6-3 Tue #30 s8 Jelena Jankovic SCG d #57 q Alona Bondarenko UKR 6-4, 1-6, 7-6(5) Wed The loss freed up Alona to demonstrate her being pretty skills, with extra hair--she has two sisters, too *#49 Michaella Krajicek NED d #36 Klara Koukalova CZE 6-7, 6-4, 6-3 Wed *#517 q Paola Suarez ARG d #58 Jelena Kostanic CRO 6-2, 6-0 Tue Paola donned football garb to show support for Argentina's World Cup team, which is about to play the Netherlands *#596 wc Brenda Schultz-McCarthy NED d #66 Marta Domachowska POL 7-6(4), 6(3)-7, 6-3 Tue Brenda at her post-match press interview

's-Hertogenbosch, QFs, Thu losers' prize: $4,550 US; points: 30 #8 s1 Elena Dementieva RUS d #23 s5 Ana Ivanovic SCG 7-6(6), 6-4 Elena following her forehand #17 s2 Dinara Safina RUS d #596 wc Brenda Schultz-McCarthy NED 6-3, 6-4 #49 Michaella Krajicek NED d #30 s8 Jelena Jankovic SCG 6(2)-6(1) retired #70 Eleni Daniilidou GRE d #517 q Paola Suarez ARG 6-2 retired-- l calf strain

's-Hertogenbosch, SFs, Fri WTA story losers' prize: $8,250 US; points: 55 *#49 Michaella Krajicek NED d #8 s1 Elena Dementieva RUS 1-6, 7-6(5), 6-4 Michaella moving to field a forehand, Elena's backhand, Michaella's backhand, and after match point     Michaella said: "In the first set, I don't think I really believed that I could play up to [Elena's] level, but in the second set, I told myself that I could do it, so I played differently. Then, I think I played my best tennis in the third set. This was the best match of my career."     Elena, who seldom complains about line calls in post-match interviews, felt she had been cheated this time.     Elena said: "I feel like I won this match. I think the line umpires were trying to help [Michaella] during the whole game. It was not easy to play because she had a much bigger court than the normal size. Every ball that was going out was in.     "I understand she was playing at home and the crowd want her to be in the final and it's good for the tournament but, you know, it must be fair play...     "I played very well in the first set and even in the second set. When I lost that match point and eventually the set, I still felt I could win, but it was really tough to keep my concentration, and it was difficult to play." Reuters story #17 s2 Dinara Safina RUS d #70 Eleni Daniilidou GRE 6-3, 3-6, 6-4 Eleni about to slice a backhand, and Dinara's backhand drive     Dinara said: "[Eleni] gave me a tough match. In the second set, I was up a break two times, but I couldn't take advantage of those chances. During the set break, I told myself that I had to make the most of those opportunities in the third set and I did that.     "I think I need to get used to coming to the net; I practice it and I know I can do it, but I need to bring it into the match. I need to get more experience of coming into the net during matches because that's important on grass."

's-Hertogenbosch, Final, Sat loser's prize: $14,750 US; points: 85 winner's prize: $28,000 US; points: 120 *#49 Michaella Krajicek NED d #17 s2 Dinara Safina RUS 6-3, 6-4 Michaella following a flying forehand, and reaching for one more earthly, Dinara launching a backhand, Michaella's about to wallop one, and after match point

's-Hertogenbosch, Doubles Final, Fri c1 m3 4pm+ losers' prize: $4,450 US winners' prize: $8,250 US cdr16 s1 Zi Yan & Jie Zheng d cdr119 Maria Kirilenko & Ana Ivanovic 3-6, 6-2, 6-2 's-Hertogenbosch, Qual Finals, Sun Jun 18 losers' prize: $350 US #57 Alona Bondarenko UKR d #127 Kirsten Flipkens BEL 6-1, 6-3 *#87 Virginia Ruano Pascual ESP d #69 Maret Ani EST 7-5, 4-6, 7-5 #92 Mariana Diaz-Oliva ARG d #71 Martina Muller GER 6-2, 7-5 *#517 Paola Suarez ARG d #79 Zi Yan CHN 6-3, 4-6, 6-1 's-Hertogenbosch, Withdrawals #35 Lucie Safarova CZE #42 Anna Smashnova ISR #43 Roberta Vinci ITA #46 Lourdes Dominguez Lino ESP shoulder #51 Emilie Loit FRA abdominal strain #NR Elena Bovina RUS r shoulder Hmm... maybe it's chocolate...

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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