What an engaging, surprising и directionless start the tennis season has had. With the reigns of Pete Сампрас и Мартина Хингис both under fire, 1998 is promising to be yet another wacky, unpredictable year. When you look at the combustible playing styles of the likes of Petr Korda, Marcelo Rios, Venus Williams и Анна Курникова, to say nothing of resurging veteran (!) Андрэ Агасси, it's hard to imagine what will now happen. Past in this sport, at least this year, is not necessarily prologue.

Let's start by looking at all the wonderful flux on the Corel WTA Tour. As I've mentioned before, Hingis' inherent counterpunching style was going to make it difficult for her to rule the roost in the manner of a physically oppressive Graf, Navratilova or Seles. But to see her pressed so quickly by both Williams sisters is staggering. For Venus и Serena, there's a big upside ahead. These two are starting to compose points with far more consistency и focus than ever. I find Serena more smooth, but Venus' all-court prowess is so awe-inspiring that I think it's intimidated other players into passivity. Hingis, for example, played much more to not lose than to win against Venus at both Индиан-Уэллс и Lipton. Rarely did she venture in for volleys. There's this sense I have that Hingis doesn't want to take the risk of being passed by Williams -- as if there's a three-point line that would make it humiliating to let Venus rip one by и pump her fists.

But if Hingis is to fight off the likes of Venus, Serena и Kournikova, she can't just rely on her wonderful guile. Hopefully, she'll take these challenges to heart и continue plowing money into R&D, particularly on her serve и forehand. I'm hoping she does, и can create a great rivalry with the Williams sisters. There's also an undercurrent of hostility between Hingis и the Williams' that's both engaging и childish. "There's no question, Serena и I will be one и two," Venus told me at Индиан-Уэллс after losing to Hingis in the semis. Minutes later, I shared that information with Hingis, who declared, "She said that again? It's getting kind of boring. Майbe after I'm retired." But after fighting off three match points to beat Serena и losing to Venus at Lipton, Hingis noted, "Before, I was the hunter. Now I'm the hunted one."

Such comments make great theater.

Which naturally brings us to Анна Курникова. I'll leave the talk about her looks to pedophiles who favor smarmy blondes. As for her tennis, Kournikova's convincing wins at Lipton over Lucic, Seles, Martinez, Давенпорт и Sanchez Vicario showed she can play at the highest level -- not just for one day, but for an entire tournament. Slams have been won on easier draws. Like Hingis, and unlike Venus, Kournikova is an extremely well-trained, fluid tennis player. Her footwork is terrific, her racket can work like a wand и her touch is sparkling. I see her as a contemporary Evonne Goolagong, floating on instinct, creating openings, even mixing spins -- и also suffering from mental lapses. It was unfortunate that at Lipton she too backed off from attacking Venus и degenerated in one hour from a cocky woman into a shriveled little girl.

These teens -- Hingis, Venus, Serena, Kournikova and, though not quite there yet, Lucic -- are making the Женщины game hot stuff. Around this group, even 21-year-old Давенпорт seems a veteran, to say nothing of Sanchez, 26; Martinez, 26; и Novotna, 29. Lindsay's been looking sharp this year, but there's still this sense I get from her that it's better to be liked than feared, that at crunch time she'll move aside и let a hungrier, nastier competitor beat her.

And, of course, lurking but riddled with physical и emotional woes are Graf and Seles. It would be great to see these two ex-champs make big runs at the top once again, but one can only wonder и hope that their bodies hold up. But then again, for Steffi there's never been much youthful joy in her tennis. It's always been a hard, introverted struggle for her, constantly triumphing over one demon after another. But it's different with Seles. One of the saddest sights of this year's Lipton telecast was the sight of Monica holding up her Lipton trophy in 1990. It was Monica's first big win. The world was her oyster, и it showed in her exuberance и rooster-like hairdo. и now, just eight years later, she has faced a stabbing и the near-death of her father. Who can blame her for not caring about tennis these days?

As for the men, let's start by hailing Rios but also recognize that while earning number one on the ATP Tour computer in Март is impressive, it's not yet the stuff that gets you into the Hall of Fame. Before we trash this brilliant, churlish lefty for reaching the top without a Slam, please recall that others who've occupied the top spot without a Slam on the books over the one-year ranking period include Jimmy Connors, Джон МакИнрой, Ivan Lendl and Pete Сампрас.

That said, Rios damn well better earn a Slam. It was a shame to see him so tight in Австралия. Six weeks later, he ran Korda into the ground in the desert. Like every great player, the Chilean has absorbed elements of prior champs while creating his own unique style -- it's possible to see portions of McEnroe, Connors, Агасси и Chang in his game. But there's such sensuality in his tennis, so much precision и agility, that I hope this silences for good those who think contemporary tennis is strictly a power game. Still, now that people are gunning after Rios it will be interesting how he fares when he starts defending points in place like Super Nine venue Монте Карло. More importantly, can he inflict big-time damage at the Открытый чемпионат Франции? The rub of Rios' ascent is that he's a bonafide jerk, chockful of immaturity и so rude even his handlers can't deny it. No doubt we'll here more from folks about him not really being such a bad guy, but tell me this: Has becoming number one ever made anyone in tennis more humble и friendly?

As for Pete Сампрас, he need only reach the semis of a small tournament in Hong Kong to reclaim the top spot. But for posterity, he won't really be able to show he's the main man until he once again hoists that Уимблдон trophy over his head in Июль. I think he will win Уимблдон, but for now the next three months will force him to dig deeper than he ever has. Though his true possibilities to win events will only occur in Hong Kong, Tokyo и Queen's Club, it will be interesting to see if continues grinding away. No one this year expects him to win the Открытый чемпионат Франции, so perhaps he'll swing from the hip, win a few matches и stay focused enough for Уимблдон. This early season slump, though, has been distressing for Сампрас followers. To go down as he has -- without seeming able to reach back и grub -- makes one wonder if there really is a decline in the works, or is this just one of those blips champions encounter? The summer will tell the story.

Андрэ Агасси's resurgence has also been refreshing, и by the end of the year I look for him, Rios и Сампрас to be the most solid contenders for the top spot in the sport. What Агасси needs are a few more good wins и a knockout effort in Париж, if not the title then at least the semis и a hard- fought loss. He's showing great confidence, commitment и fitness -- but was made to look downright old against Rios. Those one-week, fastcourt deals in places like San Jose и Scottsdale are one thing, but I'm sure Агасси would have liked something better out of Индиан-Уэллс (where he lost to hotshot American Jan-Michael Gambill, a player you'll see in the top 30 by next year) and Lipton (as well as the soon-to-be-forgotten Australian Open; sorry Petr and you friendly folks Down Under). Still, Агасси's confidence is rising.

The rest of the men's top 20 figures to be a massive traffic jam of jockeying contenders, stray cats и random mice. Patrick Rafter's body is breaking down on a daily basis. It's a tribute to his heart that he won the Открытый чемпионат США, but he's been strafed by too many players lately to think he's got all the artillery necessary to be number one. Likewise for Korda, who was glorious in Австралия but has never had the staying power. Meanwhile, Greg Rusedski is piling up match wins и starting to feel cozy near the top. But today's passing shot artists и slow courts will keep him from taking any Slam other than Уимблдон -- still, that's a place where with enough service returns he can inflict major damage. Likewise for Mark Philippoussis, the man with the big serve but still looking to post quality results in a big time venue (at least a Super Nine).

And what of such past French champs as Kafelnikov, Muster, Chang, Bruguera, Courier и Kuerten? It's clear from these guys' rough times that the sport is extremely demanding on the body -- that to win the French takes such an effort that the victor is vanquished. The only one I think will win another Slam is Kafelnikov -- и for such a fine player, he's maddeningly erratic, prone to bad losses, injuries и whining.

The timing of the year is also favoring Rios. Clay is his favorite surface, but it will be fascinating to see if he can build off his hardcourt success and rack up lots of wins. That's going to be a lot tougher for Агасси, but if he can even squeak out a red clay title prior to the French he'll pick up lots of steam too, и in all likelihood reach high enough in the rankings to get seeded at Роланд Гаррос. It figures to be a great tennis season.

This column is copyrighted by Joel Drucker, all rights reserved.

Joel's background includes 25 years as a player, instructor, tournament director и writer. His stories have appeared in all of the leading tennis magazines (Tennis, World Tennis, Tennis Week, Tennis Match, и Racquet). He has also written about tennis for many general interest publications, including Cigar Aficionado, Diversion, Men's Journal, San Francisco Focus и the San Diego Reader.