Some people will do anything in search of a challenge.
Vanessa Webb demonstrated last May that her tennis game was dominant at the collegiate level. And by winning the NCAA singles title in straight sets, her next obstacle looms on a somewhat higher level.
In the U.S. Open.
Webb qualified for the Open by winning the NCAA individual championship and will face Zimbabwe's Cara Black in the first round tomorrow in Flushing Meadows, N.Y.
"I'm pretty psyched; I've been working toward it all summer," Webb said from her home in Canada last week. "I've played seven tournaments but I've also been training and working toward hopefully peaking at the U.S. Open."
Webb indeed won two singles and four doubles satellite tournaments this summer in preparation for the Open. That allowed her ranking to soar from the mid-300s to its current spot of 258.
"That's by far the best summer I've had," Webb said. "I really couldn't ask for anything more. I don't think I've ever played so well consistently. The NCAAs, just winning it, really gave me a lot of confidence. That really carried through the summer."
Of course the competition over the next fortnight will be different. Black is ranked 53rd, and should Webb win she could face Mary Pierce in the second round.
Webb realizes the game is played much differently on the pro tour, and she will have to adjust accordingly.
"I have to get used to a ball coming at me harder and quicker and deeper and more consistently," she said. "That's the biggest thing. I have to get used to better players. In college I can get away with a lot of stuff, but the better the player, the less you can get away with."
The Toronto native got a pretty good warmup a few weeks ago when she played in the Du Maurier Open in her native country. Webb battled 15th-ranked Anke Huber in the first round, and though she lost 6-4, 6-1, she came away better for the experience.
"The first set I was there; it was just one close break," Webb said. "The second set she just played a lot better. But a lot of things, especially with my serve and volley, I got to see how close I was. It's really a matter of getting used to the pace of the ball because everyone hits it so much harder, so that's really what I've been working on.
"I can get away with not knifing my backhand when I play against lower ranked players outside of the top 100. But you play the top ones, and you've got to do it because they're going to pounce on anything that's slow. You really have to be disciplined out there. Any opportunity they have in their court they're going to jump on."
Webb arrived in New York Thursday to receive an award as the top tennis female player last season. She started practicing in Flushing Meadows Friday afternoon, and though the Open starts today, Webb takes the court tomorrow.
Part of Webb's inspiration comes from a similar source. Her former roommate was the last Duke athlete to compete in a U.S. Open. The story of that golfer, one Jenny Chuasiriporn, is quite familiar now.
But Webb approaches the U.S. Open relaxed and ready to play tennis. She sees it as a win-win situation.
"There's really no pressure," she said. "The [Du Maurier Open] I played at night in the stadium and it was packed and it was just fun. You've really just got to go for it. Hopefully I'll play the same way [at the U.S. Open]. Who knows? But it's just such a great opportunity that really I can't lose. It's a way to test yourself against the best."
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