19 October 2004	Tuesday	04 Ramazan 1425

LONDON, Oct 18: Although the Grand Slam silverware has been doled out for the 2004 season there is still much pride and prize money to play for as the tennis year creeps towards its climax.

The handful of leading men and women are still to compete at their end-of-season championships with a major tussle underway for the women's end-of-year number one ranking.

France's Amelie Mauresmo and U.S. baseliner Lindsay Davenport are neck-and-neck at the top after a season which has seen the Williams sisters Venus and Serena fall away and Belgians Justine Henin-Hardenne and Kim Clijsters surrender to illness and injury.

Victory in the lucrative Los Angeles showdown featuring the top eight women will net the winner $1 million.

Davenport, at the end of a year she has strongly hinted will be her last on the circuit, finds herself nosing towards the end-of-year top ranking.

After a handful of years playing second fiddle, she is favourite to finish top for the third time in her career.

Switzerland's Roger Federer has ruled men's tennis with a ferocity belying his sweet nature. The 23-year-old won the Australian Open, Wimbledon and U.S. Open crowns this season, wrapping up the end-of-season number one spot in record time.

He will be favourite to retain the Masters Cup title he lifted when the men's season-ender returns to Houston in November for the last time before it is relocated to Shanghai.

Federer's pre-eminence on the grand slam front has left his leading rival Andy Roddick slavering on the sidelines.

The American surrendered his U.S. Open title in September and now has his sights trained on the Davis Cup.

Roddick and his American team mates face a formidable Spanish side in Seville in the first week of December.

No U.S. team has won the Cup since 1997 and Roddick is fired up. "I've made no secret of the fact that Davis Cup has been my priority this year and I'm going to do whatever it takes to give us the best shot," he said.

"I'm very excited about going to Spain. Clay is not my favourite surface but I've only got to play well on it for two days. It's a big goal and to know that we're nine sets away from doing that feels pretty good."

Spain, in their fifth final, are favourites to add to their sole 2000 title. While men's tennis has been dominated by one player, the women's game has been ruled by a nation.

The last three grand slam titles have all gone to Russian women. Anastasia Myskina became the first woman from her country to win a grand slam when she beat compatriot Elena Dementieva in the French Open final.

That feat opened the floodgates and she was swiftly joined by Wimbledon champion Maria Sharapova and Svetlana Kuznetsova who swept to the U.S. Open title.

Unsurprisingly Russia are clear favourites to win their maiden Fed Cup title next month in Moscow. They take on Austria in the semifinals while France and Spain thrash it out for the second final spot.-Reuters