U.S. women prosper for now

By sheer force of numbers, U.S. women's tennis has probably not been this strong since the Chris Evert era -- a time when the game was almost completely centered in this country and not nearly so deep with international talent.

With the season over, there are five American women in the top 10 and 14 among the top 100, and Serena (No. 3) and Venus Williams (No. 7) still have not peaked. Their best tennis is ahead of them, along with the challenges of coming back from injury and re-establishing a dominance over Belgians Kim Clijsters and Justine Henin-Hardenne, who are Nos. 1-2 in the world.

If Serena and Venus don't bail out of tennis to pursue the myriad other career possibilities in their wide-ranging lives, they could be carrying the American flag for a long time, and that means a very strong future for the women's game.

But there are some concerns in U.S. women's tennis, and they will become more acute if the Williams sisters leave the game. Where is the fresh, young talent coming out of the junior ranks?

Laura Granville, 22, is in a stall. Time is running out on Samantha Reeves, 24. Sarah Taylor, 22, jumped to No. 75 in her first full year on tour in 2002, but injury problems dumped her out of the top 100 this season. And Alexandra Stevenson, 22, continues to be one of the great enigmas of women's tennis. She won 13 of 39 matches this season and dropped from No. 18 last year to finish at No. 83.

It seems unlikely that any of those four are going to play top-10 tennis. But there are two American teenagers who have that potential, and they're going to be carefully watched in 2004.

One is Ashley Harkleroad, 17, who made a major jump this year to No. 49. The other is the physically imposing Carly Gullickson, who turns 17 on Nov. 26.

Gullickson, the daughter of former Major League pitcher Bill Gullickson, is only at No. 232, but that's largely because of the age-eligibility rules that limit her play. In 2004, she'll be able to enter up to 13 events put on by either the WTA or the ITF, plus the Grand Slams.

A native of Brentwood, Tenn., she has moved to Palm Beach Gardens to be closer to USTA coach Jay Berger, who is headquartered at Key Biscayne.

In Gullickson's first regular tour event of 2003, she reached the quarterfinals at Memphis, where she lost to Lisa Raymond. She was only 6-5 in big-league events, and that includes two wins in the qualifying that earned her a spot in her first Wimbledon. She lost first round there to Iroda Tulyaganova.

But her progress was impressive enough that the USTA gave her a wild card into the U.S. Open main draw, and she lost there in the first round to tall, talented Russian Dinara Safina 7-5, 6-2.

For players of Gullickson's youth, the losses don't matter. The experience does.

Harkleroad, who also is coached by Berger, played her 13 events in 2003 and scored her most important triumph with a gritty three-set win over top-10 player Daniela Hantuchova in the second round of the French Open. She didn't play nearly as impressively in the next round, losing to lefty Magui Serna of Spain 6-2 in the third. You expect that sort of emotional roller coaster from young players, though.

This year Harkleroad got a strong feel for the tour. As hard as she works, she still needs one big weapon to become a top-10 threat.

One of her offseason goals is strength training, and when she shows up in Auckland to start 2004 the plan is that she'll be swinging the racket with measurably more power.

Of the four players at the next plateau, Taylor is most intriguing. She's physically strong with good athletic skills. But with ankle and wrist injuries this season, it's easy to wonder whether she will have chronic problems.

None of these younger players is as physically strong, however, as Stevenson, who has largely wasted her talent since her shock semifinal finish at Wimbledon in 1999.

Still touring with her mother listed as her "coach," Stevenson has gone out in the first round of 13 of the 17 Grand Slams she has played since the '99 Wimbledon. What is more embarrassing, she has never won a match at her home major, the U.S. Open.

Running down Americans in the top 100:

Serena Williams: She needs to relight the competitive fires. She is still the best player in the world, and she should be motivated to get back at Henin-Hardenne at the French Open.

Venus Williams: She hasn't played since the Wimbledon final. She was playing better than her sister in London, but injuries felled her.

Lindsay Davenport: After foot surgery, she'll come back. She's still a top-five player.

Jennifer Capriati: She won her first tournament since the 2002 Australian Open. Her serve has improved, but she still has trouble closing out important matches.

Chanda Rubin: Back in the top 10, she's a smarter player after knee surgery, but she won't hit the top five.

Meghann Shaughnessy: Two years into a concentrated strength-building program, she's more physical but her game has topped out.

Lisa Raymond: Just a great doubles player.

Monica Seles: Another year of injuries, but she'll be back, because she loves the game.

Laura Granville: She needs to sort out her priorities in life and determine how much she wants to commit to tennis.

Ashley Harkleroad: You love her feistiness and competitive fire.

Amy Frazier: For 14 years, the invisible American on the WTA Tour.

Samantha Reeves: She's nearly 25, and she's not going to be a late bloomer.

Alexandra Stevenson: Ask mom to stay home and get a real coach.

Jay Craybas: At 29, she's never been past the second round of a Slam.

Charles Bricker's tennis column appears Sundays. He can be reached at cbricker@sun-sentinel.com.