Tennis

Smash Hit
Fans at the NASDAQ-100 loved the new Hawk-Eye instant-replay system, which put both players and linesmen to the test

Roger Federer and Svetlana Kuznetsova took the his and hers singles titles at the NASDAQ-100 Open last weekend in Key Biscayne, Fla. Kuznetsova won her biggest title since the 2004 U.S. Open by trouncing her Russian rival Maria Sharapova in the final. Federer, meanwhile, played his ritually transcendent tennis to take his fourth title of the year, defeating Ivan Ljubicic on Sunday and pushing his 2006 record to 28-1.

The event's biggest winner, however, may have been a 31-year-old Brit who walked the grounds unnoticed. A former competitive rower with a Ph.D. in artificial intelligence, Paul Hawkins has spent much of the past five years developing an electronic instant-replay mechanism that can determine, within millimeters, whether balls alight outside, inside or on the lines. Making its debut at a sanctioned pro event, the system, named Hawk-Eye, was an unqualified success in Key Biscayne.

Allotted two unsuccessful challenges per set (three in the event of a tiebreaker) and unlimited successful ones, players could appeal to technology if they took issue with a line call. Justice was swift and decisive. Nestled in a courtside booth with 10 computers--one for each camera--Hawkins would push a button and within seconds the replay, which showed a black spot where the ball had fallen, would be broadcast on his monitor and, simultaneously, on two video boards in the main stadium. Fans cheered or booed. Officials were spared the players' wrath. Faced with irrefutable evidence, the players retreated to the baseline and began the next point. "It's great," says Andy Roddick, speaking for the vast majority of the players. "It adds another element to the tennis. The fans were going nuts."

If the technology is essentially flawless, there are still glitches in its application. There's something suspect about using replay only on the show courts, where the best players perform. After questionable calls, players often looked to their entourages for an indication of whether to use a challenge--a ploy that violates rules against mid-match coaching. More important, if technology exists to ensure 100% accuracy in line calls without breaking the rhythm of a match, why not do away with the reality-show component of challenges and simply defer to replay on each point?

There is also concern that replay might bleach color from the sport, as McEnroesque tirades will become obsolete and players will be disinclined to, well, rage against the machine. Then again, perhaps the officials never deserved the fury in the first place. At the NASDAQ-100, officials were correct on about two thirds of the challenged calls. "Maybe we'll be humbled a little bit," says James Blake, who continued his stellar 2006 run by advancing to the NASDAQ quarterfinals before falling to Federer. "A lot of times people are just arguing for the sake of arguing."

There's no need for replay technology at clay-court events such as the French Open, where the balls leave telltale marks. And the hidebound types at Wimbledon are, for the moment, passing on replay. But Hawk-Eye--which, with the video boards, cost the NASDAQ $100,000--will return for the North American summer hard-court events, culminating in the U.S. Open. By then, Hawkins may rival Federer as the most influential man in tennis.

TATIANA GOLOVIN
She's from ... Everywhere

It was a sign of things to come, given the impending retirement of Lindsay Davenport and either the stunning indifference or the stunning physical fragility of the Williams sisters. For the first time since 1990 no American woman reached the quarterfinals in Key Biscayne. Nationality, though, is a fungible concept in tennis, and no player exemplifies this more than Tatiana Golovin, a likable 18-year-old who was born in Russia, was raised in France and is based in Florida. Last week she attributed her march to the NASDAQ-100 semis--enabling her to reach a ranking of No. 21--to her comfort level. "It feels really nice to be driving your car to the courts, sleeping in your own bed, knowing everything around you," says Golovin, who lives in Miami. "I know the courts so well."

After an erratic 2005 Golovin retained Tarik Benhabiles, Roddick's former coach, and has since started to fulfill the promise she showed as a junior. Though a slender 5'9" and 132 pounds--most of which is on public view thanks to her trademark tight tops and short shorts--Golovin has the requisite power to succeed in today's women's game. She is also a deft volleyer and a smooth mover who can play capably on any surface. Her game, in other words, travels well.