Top ranking within reach
at last for Venus
Venus Williams heads into the Dubai Open this week with the world number one spot finally in her grasp.
Trailing top-ranked Jennifer Capriati by just 137 points, the supremely talented but enigmatic Venus has an excellent chance to take over at the top for the first time.
Often criticised for taking long periods away from the WTA Tour -- especially to attend fashion college -- the twice Wimbledon and U.S. Open champion has never played enough events to capture the ranking her ability deserves.
It is unusual for a player who wins two Grand Slams in a year to end it anywhere other than number one, but Venus has never done things the usual way.
However, with Capriati not playing this week, Venus -- finally appearing to play a full schedule -- now has a golden chance to topple her fellow American.
Whether she manages it or not depends not only on Venus's performances in the Gulf state, but also how other top players fare with bonus points available based on the calibre of opponent she could face in each round.
The 21-year-old is number one seed and favourite for the Dubai crown. She has already claimed titles in Australia and Paris this year, and on Sunday she landed the Antwerp final beating Justine Henin in a repeat of her most recent Wimbledon triumph.
FREE TIME
Certainly if she does make it to the top of the rankings she will not be overly surprised.
"I've always believed I would be successful because that's what we'd worked for. My mum and dad told us all the time.
"If they hadn't told us maybe we wouldn't have believed it as much, but they had us convinced," she told the Dubai tournament's official website.
"But there's only so much they can do for me. It's my dream to be number one. I don't want to stick around at number two or go back to number five. I always like moving forward.
"I suppose if I'd have played a little bit more things could been different by now, but I like my schedule the way it is. I like to have my free time, and if I don't have it I might get crazy."
Her first test at the Dubai Tennis Stadium is likely to come in the second round, when she could face the glamorous Russian Anna Kournikova.
They also met in the second round in Antwerp, with Williams switching into top gear after a tight first set to win 7-5 6-0.
First, though, Kournikova must overcome Tunisian wild card Selima Sfar.
Second seed Monica Seles can look forward to a comfortable ride in the early part of the week, as there are three qualifiers in her quarter of the draw.
She will play either the first of those or Tatiana Poutchek of Belarus in the second round.
Her first big test should come in the semifinals, when she can expect to play third seed Amelie Mauresmo of France.
