Kim Clijsters
THE LOWDOWN: A winning smile hides a lethal arsenal... The three-time Slam finalist won back-to-back hard-court events this spring, beating Davenport and Sharapova in consecutive finals… With a tenacious game, expect plenty of smiles from “Miss Congeniality” this summer.
Andy Roddick
THE LOWDOWN: Don’t think it’s gonna be a long, long time before “Rocket Man” makes his mark on this year’s US Open Series… With the game’s biggest launch, Roddick is capable of achieving astronomic results… The ’03 US Open champ finished second in last year’s Series standings, he’ll be looking to boost that showing in ’05.
Amelie Mauresmo
THE LOWDOWN: The world’s most famous courts as her canvas, “The Artiste” has painted a remarkable résumé... Mauresmo’s powerful and precise strokes make her a potent presence on hard courts, as she showed last year in winning the Rogers Cup and finishing second in the US Open Series points race… Not an easy brush-off.
Rafael Nadal
THE LOWDOWN: Holy Big Forehand, “Boy Wonder” is fast establishing himself as a big-time star… The 19-year-old Spaniard is most at home on clay, but doesn’t mind hitting the hard stuff, reaching the final of Key Biscayne in March… Perhaps the US Open Series will unmask a sensation.
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