By Neil Schmidt
Enquirer staff writer

MASON - Wait long enough in Cincinnati, and everything eventually returns. Cicadas. Festival seating. Competitive Bengals football.

And, in tandem, women's tennis and Amy Frazier.

How long has Frazier been playing? The Rochester, Mich., native appeared in the last women's tournament in Cincinnati, the 1988 Pringles Light Classic. She's back at the same site this week as the No. 3 seed in the Western & Southern Financial Group Women's Open.

"I remember it was so hot that summer," Frazier said of the record heat wave in '88. "And I think I played Robin White."

Close. Frazier, then a 16-year-old high school student, lost to Wendy White 6-3, 7-5 in the first round.

After 18 years on the WTA Tour and 62 Grand Slam appearances - only five fewer than record-holder Martina Navratilova - it's hard for Frazier to keep every detail straight.

It's ironic that sports fans have the same struggle remembering her. Tennis writers have dubbed her the most anonymous veteran player in the United States, and Frazier said she is never recognized out in public - even in her hometown.

"It doesn't really matter to me one way or the other," Frazier said of fame. "I get to play tennis, and that's what I love to do."

She is nothing if not enduring. Frazier turned pro in 1987, two months after Steffi Graf won her first major, and has missed just two Slams in the past 11 years.

Later this month, she will play in her 18th consecutive U.S. Open.

Frazier, 31, is back up to a No. 25 ranking, after her No. 61 finish last year ended a string of 14 consecutive finishes in the top 50. She has never been past the quarterfinals at a Slam, but she has seven career titles and has exceeded $3 million in career earnings.

The consistency even extends to her skin care. With perhaps the palest skin in tennis, Frazier applies two coats of SPF-30 sunscreen, head to toe, before every match or practice session.

"It's tedious, but what are my options?" she said.

Frazier's career-best ranking, No. 13, came back in 1995. Yet even now, when her age invites questions about retirement, she talks of trying to improve daily.

Last month at Wimbledon, Frazier scored an upset of second seed Anastasia Myskina, the French Open champion. Other career highlights include victories over Graf and Monica Seles, and an upset of then-No. 1 Martina Hingis in 2000 in San Diego.

Of her future, she said: "I don't plan anything too far in advance. I don't know what's going to happen in six months or in two years."

Yet one thing has been set seemingly forever: When Frazier retires, she will go to college in pursuit of an education degree. She wants to teach junior high math.

"I've always wanted to be a teacher," she said. "Every woman in my family is a teacher. And I love math, and I had an unbelievable junior high math teacher."

For now, she is happy to be near home. This is the only WTA event in the Midwest.

"I was so bummed (in '88) the tournament wasn't coming back," Frazier said. "... Being from the Midwest, we're such a great tennis community.

"This is a great event. I hope it stays and thrives."

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E-mail nschmidt@enquirer.com

Frazier timeline

1987 - Won first ITF Circuit singles title at ITF/Kona-USA; played in first U.S. Open

1988 - Ranking jumped from No. 202 to No. 55; played in all four Grand Slams

1989 - Won first WTA Tour

singles title in Wichita, Kan.

1990 - Upset No. 3 Monica Seles in three sets in Tokyo; earned first Top 20 finish

1992 - Qualified for season-ending championships in singles for first time

1994 - Won Los Angeles title

1995 - Reached first U.S. Open quarterfinal; reached career-high ranking of No. 13

1997 - Earned her ninth consecutive top-40 finish

1999 - Reached five singles semifinals; ranked in top 20 for first time in more than three years

2000 - Defeated four top-10 players in three weeks, including former No. 1 Martina Hingis; qualified for season-ending championships for first time since 1992

2001 - Defeated defending Franch Open champion Mary Pierce at Roland Garros

2002 - Earned her 14th consecutive top-50 finish; scored four top-20 wins

2003 - First season finishing outside top 50 since 1988; reached her 59th Grand Slam (U.S. Open), the most among active players

2004 - Reached highest ranking since 2001 at No. 25 in the world