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© St. Petersburg Times, published June 5, 2002
Jesuit graduate Ryler DeHeart lost his pro tournament debut two weeks ago at the Men's Futures at Harbour Island, but he came away with confidence and experience.
The 18-year-old wild-card entry had match point in a third-set tiebreaker against Nicolas Todero of Argentina, the world's 320th-ranked player, but Todero rallied to win 9-7.
"I think I proved a lot to myself and to other people," said DeHeart, who will play for the University of Illinois this fall.
DeHeart, a two-time state champion, is No. 15 in the USTA's 18-and-under division. He will play in four tournaments this summer, including the prestigious Super National Hard Court Championships in August. The winner receives an invitation to play in the U.S. Open.
NOT THE OSMONDS: Saddlebrook Academy grad Steven Capriati got a taste of the red clay last week when he teamed with sister Jennifer in mixed doubles at the French Open. The Capriatis lost to Alexandra Fusai and Julien Varlet 6-3, 6-1 in the first round, and apparently the younger Capriati was not on his best behavior.
The Associated Press reported that Steven reacted poorly at times after shots went awry. At one point, father/coach Stefano Capriati shouted to his son, "Stop throwing rackets!"
Steven, 22, recently finished his playing career at the University of Arizona, where as a senior he went 23-13 at No. 1 singles. He reached the NCAA singles draw (one of 64 players) but lost in the first round. Steven started his college career at South Florida and transferred to Arizona in 2000.
QUICK TURNAROUND: Many players have complained about the lack of time between the French Open and Wimbledon, which begins June 24. They might have a point.
Winning on grass requires a completely different game than clay. At Roland Garros patience is rewarded. Wimbledon favors big hitters, especially on the men's side, where points rarely last longer than three shots.
It is not uncommon for women to win both events, and no man has done it since Bjorn Borg in 1980.
WHAT'S YOUR NAME AGAIN?: If anybody could walk around without ID at the French Open, it would have to be Venus Williams, right? Not quite. Last week, Williams, the world's No. 2 player and one of the tournament favorites, forget her pass and was stopped by security. "I had to show my passport so the guy would believe it was me," Williams said.
DEAR DIARY, TODAY I HUMILIATED MYSELF: While featured on a recent episode of the reality show MTV Diary, Serena Williams' credit card was declined while attempting to make a purchase. She appeared to be caught off guard, and it's easy to understand why. Williams has more than $6-million in career earnings. The episode was filmed in March, when she was in Miami for the Nasdaq-100 Open, a tournament she won. Camera crews also showed Williams cooking with her mother, playing with her dogs, working out in the gym and beating her sister in the semifinals.
CHART TOPPERS: Despite being crushed by Serena Williams 6-1, 6-1 in Tuesday's quarterfinals at the French Open, Sarasota resident Mary Pierce, a wild-card entry, will make a huge jump when rankings are released next week. Pierce, plagued by various injuries in recent years, is ranked No. 132 and was 160 spots worse two months ago.
WEB WATCH: Two-time French Open champ Martina Navratilova is scheduled to host a chat session at 9 a.m. today at www.rolandgarros.com. The site has a page with up-to-date statistics for men's and women's players.
- Information from Times wires was used in this report.