Meet the Future of American Women's Tennis

ByABC News
June 27, 2006, 8:53 AM

WIMBLEDON, England, June 27, 2006 — -- Zina Garrison, sitting in the comfort of her home in Maryland, laughed into the telephone.

The United States Fed Cup captain was asked, point-blank, whether 19-year-old Jamea Jackson would be a part of the team that would engage Belgium in the July 15-16 semifinals. By way of pleading the Fifth, Garrison opted instead to talk about Jackson's effervescent personality.

"I tell her she doesn't have a million-dollar smile," Garrison said. "She has a two-million-dollar smile."

Read into that what you will. For now: America, get ready for Jamea Jackson. And, please, don't say you weren't warned.

There was a time, not very long ago, when American women were a powerful force at the All England Club.

For seven consecutive years, before the 2005 event, three or four of the eight quarterfinalists here were U.S. women. The usual suspects were Venus and Serena Williams, Lindsay Davenport, Jennifer Capriati, and Monica Seles, with a 1999 semifinals guest appearance by Alexandra Stevenson. Last year, the run ended with only two Americans in the quarters, Davenport and Venus Williams, who met in a rousing final won by Williams in the 9-7 third set.

This year, that quarterfinal quotient is likely to be one -- at best. Venus Williams is the only American woman among 32 seeds (No. 6). On Sunday, Williams took herself out of the Fed Cup running. Davenport withdrew from Wimbledon with a back injury; Serena Williams won't be back from a knee injury until next month; and Capriati and Seles are in the limbo of unannounced retirement.

Which leaves -- whom, exactly?

Although you can make a reasonable case that the next best U.S. women's player is Martina Navratilova, who turns 50 in October, the answer is, emphatically … Jackson. Although Jill Craybas and Laura Granville are ranked ahead of her (at Nos. 43 and 57, respectively), Jackson is already No. 58 and rising like a bullet.

She has the goods to be America's next important tennis player; Garrison insists Jackson has top-10 potential.