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Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!burl!ulysses!ucbvax!ucdavis!cccallan
From: cccallan@ucdavis.UUCP (Allan McKillop)
Newsgroups: net.sport
Subject: tennis world rankings (kinda long)
Message-ID: <233@ucdavis.UUCP>
Date: Tue, 5-Nov-85 16:58:59 EST
Article-I.D.: ucdavis.233
Posted: Tue Nov  5 16:58:59 1985
Date-Received: Thu, 7-Nov-85 05:37:24 EST
Distribution: net
Organization: University of California, Davis
Lines: 73

Well, the year is starting to wrap up, and it is time to start
thinking about who has the inside track on #1.  With only 2 more
major tournaments for both the men and women (the Australian,
the Virginia Slims finals for women and the Masters for men
(sponsored by whoever is coughing up the big bucks this year)),
there is not too much more time left for the challengers to make
up ground on the leaders.

The Men:

The obvious leader of the pack right now is Lendl.  After beating
McEnroe again in Belguim this week and Wilander in Tokyo, he has shown
he is in top form.  He has won a major (the US Open) and was runner-up
in another (the French) and has done exceptionally well in other
tournament.  
McEnroe has had a bad year.  A decent showing in Paris (losing semi-final 
to Wilander), a poor showing at Wimbledon and a dissapointment at 
Flushing Meadows.  Other than the two weeks just prior to the Open 
(where he beat Lendl in successive weeks), he has had a lack luster 
year (for him).  
Wilander had a great two weeks at the French, but then has done 
nothing after that (except for a good showing vs. McEnroe at the Open).  
Could retain the #1 position if he wins the Australian and the masters.
Becker has had some outstanding results since his Wimbledon win.
beat Wilander at Cincinatti and Jarryd in Tokyo (beofre putting up
a good fight to Lendl), and that has really suprised me.
He has shown that he is not just a flash-in-the-pan.  Could
start to challenge for #1 in two years.  
Connors has started to lose a step.  When was the last time he beat 
someone above him? But he has shown his usually consistancy by being 
the only man to reach the semis of all fo the Grand Slam tournaments so far.

Other than those 5, nobody among the men has shown anything other than a
few good wins.  The best-of-the-rest are probably Nystrom (i look forward
to a rematch between him and Becker in the Davis Cup finals), Jarryd and
Curren.

The Women:

Navratrilova still has to be dethroned as #1.  She too, like McEnroe,
has had a lack-luster year (for her) losing 5 times (2 to Evert-Llyod,
2 to Mandlikova and 1 to Khode-Kilsch).  Has only retained her Wimbledon
title, and has lost twice in doubles with Shriver (losing both their
Wimbledon and US Open crowns).  But she is still the front runner this
year, but not by nearly as much as in previous years.  
Evert-Llyod has had an up-and-down year herself.  A big win to start
off the year over Navratilova, and a huge win in Paris.  She let
the Wimbledon title slip out of her grasp when Navratilova came back
from one set down to retain her title.  A poor showing vs. Mandlikova
at the Open cost her a title shot there.  She has done well, playing
a lot this year.  Two early seaon upsets by Garrison and Jordan could
hurt her.  She is the only real challenger.  Has to win the Australian
to have a shot at number 1.
Mandlikova played well early (beating both Evert-Llyod and Navratilova
in successive weeks), but then played poorly until the Open.  Maybe she
is starting to show what she is capable of, and could make a run at
#1 next year, but not this.

The best-of-the-rest are Garrison (having an excellent year), 
Khode-Kilsch (having a suprisingly good year) and Sukova (having 
a suprisingly average year).

I hope that i haven't bored too many of you, and i hope that this
starts up some more discussion about tennis!  lets hear some
opinions!  How are we ever going to get net.tennis if we all remain
quiet?!?!

________________________________________________________________________________

Allan McKillop
(...ucbvax!ucdavis!deneb!cccallan)

"Where there's a will, there's a relative..."