By Tony Ammann
Sports Editor

Here's an idea for your next research paper. Waltz over to the Lovejoy Library, type in "Maud Watson" in the Illini On-line Text Interface computer and hit search.

Most likely, the computer will draw a blank. You might think Maud Watson is that gray-haired lady who had a television show that is currently being aired on cable television.

Watson is actually the first woman to win two Grand Slam tennis tournaments. She won the first two Wimbledon Championships in 1884 and 1885.

More than 100 years after Watson tore up the grass surface at the All England Club, the sport of women's tennis hasn't changed a bit. Or has it?

When a middle-aged woman thinks of women's tennis, she might picture a young Chris Evert-Lloyd smashing a winning forehand, then flashing a priceless grin.

She might also reminisce about Martina Navratilova raising her arms in victory, which she did a record nine times at Wimbledon.

The more liberated female may remember Billie Jean King defeating Bobby Riggs in the 1973 "Battle of the Sexes" at the Houston Astrodome.

Whatever the case, one thing has never changed during the evolution of the sport. Unique personality traits have almost always seemed to go along with being a champion.

For most of the 20th century, the spotlight of women's sports in the professional state was focused only on tennis and the Olympics. There were many people in this country who didn't even know women competed in sports until Mary Lou Retton's face was pasted on a Wheaties box.

Just as the modern female athlete seems to get stronger and faster as the years go by, so has the popularity of women's sports. Over the past three years, the women's sporting market has skyrocketed.

Three years ago, the United States, along with the rest of the world, was introduced to the Women's National Basketball Association. This introduction not only revolutionized women's sports at the professional level but made many of us wonder, "Why didn't we think of this sooner?"

The next big step, and possibly the biggest, was taken when the United States women's soccer team won the World Cup in Pasadena. Every female soccer player in this country who saw Brandi Chastain slam that game-winning goal into the net in the championship game now knew that it was possible for the female athlete to actually make her dream a reality.

Basketball and soccer have established their names in the women's bracket. But, tennis still lacked that flare or had one missing ingredient that could market the sport to the same level as those previously mentioned. That was until black athletes, Venus and Serena Williams were added to the mix.

Serena Williams may not have only won the U.S. Open Final Saturday, but she may have also marketed tennis to the same level that women's basketball and soccer have been on for the past few years.

When the Williams sisters first advanced to the professional level in tennis, they were only noticeable to the general public because of the color of their skin, the bright design of the beads in their hair and the fact that they are sisters. Now the power and precision of their racquets are being noticed, as well as the hardware in the family trophy case.

Venus entered the U.S. Open a few weeks ago as the No. 3 seed. Her overpowering forehand has earned her five titles in 1999 and a promotional ad for tennis shoes, as well as spots on television.

But her younger sister, Serena, made the best public relations move of all when she defeated the No. 1 seed, Martina Hingis, Saturday. Hingis knocked Venus out of the tournament the day before in the semifinals, only to fall to the No. 7 seed, Serena, the next day in a classic match.

The television ratings for CBS' coverage of the U.S. Open women's final went up 94 percent from last year's match. Honestly, does anyone even remember who won the U.S. Open last year? Needless to say, people will remember who won the Williams/Hingis match.

To top it off, the Williams sisters teamed up and won the doubles championship at the Open on Sunday. The Williams' showed the world that black sisters can achieve great things in the sports world.

You would have to be crazy not to think that SIUE tennis players Sarah Hardimon and Kim Mulherin don't get more excited about winning a doubles match together when events like this happen.

Hardimon and Mulherin can boast of a current unblemished mark of 4-0 in GLVC doubles matches. The two also each have a perfect 3-0 record in singles play. It's scary to think that two undefeated players now have another source of confidence when they see the national recognition that female athletes have been getting over the past few years.

Which sport will women decide to conquer next? Will we see a Women's National Football League in the near future? Don't be surprised if it happens. If you're looking to invest money in something, try a WNBA franchise. It's not likely to fail in the near future.