News round-up: Jennifer Capriati, the Australian Open champion in 2001 and 2002, confirmed yesterday she would not play in Melbourne next week and there are rising worries that the women's event will also lose a big draw card, the world number two Kim Clijsters.
Capriati pulled out of an exhibition event in Hong Kong with a back injury last week, virtually assuring that she would not be in Australia. The American joins the reigning champion Serena Williams and two other past winners, Mary Pierce and Monica Seles, on the sidelines.
Jelena Dokic is also not expected to play after opting out of the International in Sydney this week and the organisers are keeping their fingers crossed that Clijsters will not pull out as well.
Clijsters, who just before Christmas became engaged to Lleyton Hewitt, Australia's former world number one, also withdrew from the International.
That Australian connection means that her absence would be a big blow for the Melbourne organisers and for the host broadcasters Channel Seven.
She injured an ankle in Perth last week and said: "Melbourne is definitely in doubt. I want to make sure this doesn't become a chronic injury and it is completely healed. This is not an easy decision."
She added that it could require surgery.
Morocco's Younes El Aynaoui is also a doubt for the Australian Open after withdrawing yesterday from the exhibition tournament in Kooyong with a heel injury.
"I have inflammation that keeps bothering me but I am in good hands here and with intensive treatment every day I hope I will be able to play," he said. Last year he beat Hewitt, the top seed, before losing to Andy Roddick 21-19 in the fifth set of a five-hour quarter-final.
Meanwhile, holder Gustavo Kuerten battled for almost three hours before beating Spain's Alex Corretja 6-7, 7-6, 7-5 in the first round of the Auckland Open yesterday. The Brazilian overcame the world-ranked number 100 in two hours 49 minutes.
Kuerten beat Slovakian Dominik Hrbaty in last year's final, and the Slovakian made it through to the second round with an easy 6-3, 6-2 victory over New Zealander Mark Nielsen.
Guardian Service
