Martina, Serena, and Arantxa See Quarterfinal Action
by Christopher Gerby
Conchita Martinez vs. Anne Kremer
Singles: Quarterfinal
Centre Court
The phrase "moving through the draw quietly" -- always applied to a
player who wins several rounds without garnering much attention -- often
hangs around the neck of Conchita Martinez. That's just how the shy,
unassuming Spaniard likes it, though, and she was pleased with the run of
good fortune she'd experienced here. Martinez received a first round bye,
lost only one game to Annie Miller in Round Two, and didn't have to
hit a ball to get past Third Round opponent Julie Halard-Decugis,
who withdrew with a lower back injury. The # 3 seed then caught another
break in terms of her draw, getting to face an unseeded Anne Kremer
of Luxembourg in the quarterfinals. Kremer was in good form -- straight
set wins over Anastasia Myskina, Nathalie Tauziat, and Silvija Talaja
got her this far -- but would be making her first appearance on the
expansive Centre Court.
Kremer got off to a very impressive start. On each of the match's
first two points, she picked just the right time to attack the net and deftly
put away a winning volley. The crafty Martinez battled back to hold
serve, though, and soon had a 2-1 lead. Game 4 was the first poor
showing from Kremer, who netted a volley on break point to fall behind
1-3. Martinez then impressively sandwiched love holds around a Kremer
hold to go up 5-2. Kremer was only down one break, but Martinez
changed that in Game 8, slicing and dicing the 25-year-old all over
the court and goading her into errors. Kremer put a running forehand
into the net on set point to drop it 6 games to 2. It had been pretty
vintage stuff from Conchita, controlling the rallies with her variety
of spins and pace changes.
The early stages of the second set, on the other hand, were a bit
messy. The first six games were all service breaks and both players
were getting frustrated -- Martinez bounced her racquet after one
errant backhand and Kremer kicked a ball into the air after a missed
volley. The first hold came in Game 7 and it finished with a great
rally: Kremer hitting a backhand overhead, only to have Martinez
anticipate it perfectly and send back a winner for 4-3. Undaunted,
Kremer held at love for 4-4. Kremer had a big opportunity at 30-40
in the following game, but lost the break point by a missing a
backhand return. Two points later, a line drive Martinez passing
shot proved too much for Kremer to handle -- she popped a volley long
to trail 4-5. Anne was still on serve, but that hadn't meant very
much in this set...and it didn't mean much now. Kremer fell behind
15-30 and lost the next two points on backhand volley errors. It was a sloppy
end to an up-and-down set, but Martinez gladly took the 6-2, 6-4 victory. "I
thought I played a very good match and I mixed my shots a lot... I was
aggressive when I needed to be and I played the important points very
good."
Martina Hingis vs. Sandrine Testud
Singles: Quarterfinal
Centre Court
Martina Hingis entered Friday with a 10-0 career head-to-head mark
against Sandrine Testud, but that's a fairly misleading statistic.
Five of the matches had gone three sets and two of the others featured
tiebreaks -- the 8th-seeded Frenchwoman is not an easy opponent for
Hingis. Therefore, it wasn't terribly surprising to return from the
Conchita Martinez press conference and find Testud up a break at 2-1
in the first. However, Hingis went on a sterling run from that
juncture, winning 11 points in a row for a 3-2, 0-40 lead. Testud
got back on track, though, rallying to hold for 3-3. Game 7 included
Hingis hitting a beautiful cross-court forehand winner on the dead
run, but Testud came up with a well-angled volley on break point to
surge ahead 4-3. Hingis broke right back, skying a lob over Testud's
head for 4-4. A service hold then gave Martina a 5-4 advantage.
Testud got to 30-30 in Game 10, but picked a bad time to make two
unforced errors in a row, losing the 6-4 set on a long forehand.
Having struck just 4 winners (compared to 15 from Testud), Hingis
was rather fortunate to get out of that set ahead.
Four largely uneventful service holds took the second set to 2-2.
It was Hingis who then blinked first, double faulting and netting a
forehand to end a break for 2-3. Hingis was resilient, though, and
challenged Testud throughout a four-deuce battle in Game 6. She
finessed a very difficult forehand volley to earn break point and got
to 3-3 when Testud was long with a backhand. Then it was Testud's
turn to regain command, breaking Hingis at 15 with an authoritative
cross-court forehand. The rallies were of a consistently high quality
and hard-hitting Testud was starting to get the better of them. She
kept that break advantage for the remainder of Set 2, winning it 6-4
when Hingis sent a defensive lob over the baseline on triple set
point. For the sixth time, Hingis vs. Testud would be decided in a
third set.
Martina opened the final set with a buggy-whip forehand winner down
the line and held for 1-0. A big forehand pass got Testud to 1-all.
A winning backhand volley completed a Hingis hold for 2-1. It was
the bigger-serving Testud who suffered the set's first break, driving
a backhand just long to trail 1-3. Hingis held convincingly for 4-1
and seemed to be well on her way to the semifinals. Sandrine is not
to be taken lightly, though, and she produced some of her best tennis
of the day in holding for 2-4 and breaking for 3-4. She also had a
good portion of the crowd on her side (as the French players usually
do here in Montreal) and they were really into the match now.
Testud took a 30-15 lead in Game 8, but Hingis kept patiently sending
balls back to her, waiting for errors to come back. They did, as
Testud missed a couple backhands to make it 30-40. Facing break point,
Sandrine hit a nice drop volley, but quick-footed Hingis ran it down
and whipped a backhand pass cross-court to break for 5-3. Testud
stood still for a few moments in disbelief, then angrily took the
extra ball out of her skirt and whacked it into the net.
The cat-and-mouse game continued as Testud and Hingis each delivered
winning drop shots in Game 9. When she failed to put a running
backhand in play, Hingis found herself in a 15-40 deficit, still
unable to shake Testud. However, she came up with some clutch first
serves and got herself to match point...only to have Testud rip another
big cross-court forehand winner for deuce. Testud got the very same
shot in the next rally, but this time it found the net, giving the
Swiss star a second match point. This time she converted it, as
Testud netted a backhand to end the 6-4, 4-6, 6-3 barnburner. Hingis
was suitably impressed by the underdog's latest near-miss against
her. "She served very well and also from the baseline, with her
backhand she can do almost everything, especially the cross-court,
and then she pulls you out wide and hits a down-the-line winner.
Also at the net, she missed a few when it was sometimes important,
but she has great touch, good feel, and I really had to play well."
Hingis will probably have to play well again tomorrow in her
semifinal match against Conchita Martinez, who defeated Hingis in
the Berlin semifinals back in May. "I have nothing to lose to her,"
Martina reasoned. "I already did it this year."
Serena Williams vs. Amy Frazier
Singles: Quarterfinal
Centre Court
By the time I got back from the Hingis interview, Serena Williams
had already charged out to a 6-0, 2-1 lead over a helpless looking
Amy Frazier. The Michigan-born veteran took Venus Williams to
a third set tiebreak a few weeks ago at Stanford, but this was a
different day and a different Williams. Game 4 was close, but facing
break point Frazier was pulled wide and hit a forehand into the doubles
alley. Williams then uncorked a 185 km/h ace on her way to holding
for 4-1. Frazier double fauled for 0-40 in Game 6 and, two points
later, lost the game when Williams crunched a forehand return down
the line. Finishing a match that was virtually over before it began,
Serena served it out at love, prevailing when Frazier hit a forehand
long. Recording 25 winners (versus just four from her opponent),
Serena Williams notched a 6-0, 6-1 victory in just 50 minutes.
Frazier was quite upbeat in her post-match press conference, probably
glad just to be out of the line of fire. "It was so tough out
there," she said of facing Serena for the first time. "I felt under
pressure from the first game...she does so much with the ball and
the ball and the balls were landing so deep." It's been a fine
summer for Amy, though, and I asked if she feels she's been playing
the best tennis of her career. "Yeah, I'm really happy with the way
I've been playing. It's been fun to play so many matches this
summer." Meanwhile, the notoriously self-critical Serena had to
admit this was a strong performance. "I didn't make too many errors.
I didn't hit the ball too hard and go too crazy. Whatever she came
up with, I had an answer for it. No mater what. I was just ready.
And I just really kind of did everything that I was supposed to do.
It all came together today." Serena also continued to congratulate
herself on working some French words into her TV interviews. "I guess
they didn't know that Serena Williams speaks French. And I'm American
-- no American is really learning another language... That's the
truth, really. A handful of Americans are learning languages. So
that's pretty impressive."
Arantxa Sanchez-Vicario vs. Magdalena Maleeva
Singles: Quarterfinal
Centre Court
If any non-Canadian can claim something of a home court advantage
in Montreal, it's Arantxa Sanchez-Vicario. The scrappy Spaniard has
reached the last four finals here -- beating Seles in '92 and Graf in
'94; finishing runner-up to Seles in '96 and '98. She loves this
tournament and its spectators love her. Looking to spoil the party
was Magdalena Maleeva, who came through the qualifying and then lost a
total of just 9 games in dispatching Sonya Jeyaseelan, Amanda Coetzer,
and Lindsay Davenport. Granted, the Davenport match was abruptly
ended by injury, but "Maggie" had reason to be pleased with her
quarterfinal showing. Looking to make it a semifinal showing, she
opened this evening match by ripping a forehand winner. Sanchez-Vicario
got the next three points, though, and had an early 2-0 lead when a
light rain began falling on Centre Court. After a brief delay, the players came back out, warmed up again,
and Maleeva held serve for 1-2. The rest of the opening set was
dominated by Sanchez-Vicario. Being run all over the court, Maleeva
played impatient tennis, spraying far too many unforced errors. After
just 27 minutes, Arantxa was halfway to the semis, taking the first
set 6 games to 1.
The second set opened comically, as Arantxa
completely whiffed, swinging at a ball which had skidded off the
baseline. She jokingly checked her racquet to see if perhaps there
was a hole in it. Sanchez-Vicario came back to win that game;
Maleeva held for 1-1 (getting an encouraging round of applause); and
Sanchez-Vicario extended her lead to 2-1. The fourth game was a
thriller. Maleeva pumped her fist after an ace put her up 40-30,
but Sanchez-Vicario came right back with a winning drop shot (and
kissed the frame of her racquet). On the third deuce point, Maleeva
pumped her fist again after putting away an overhead smash. She
then got to 2-2 with a winning forehand volley.
Game 5, like the game before it, went to three deuces and featured
some sterling rallies. With a game point in hand, Sanchez-Vicario
hit a lunging drop volley which looked good enough, but Maleeva
scampered in and threw up a winning lob. A couple points later,
Magdalena ripped a winning backhand return to break for 3-2. Game 6
was an even more exciting battle, again lasting three deuces and
including fired-up fist pumps from both players. One rally
featured Maleeva running down a drop shot, a lob, and another drop
shot -- beating "the Barcelona Bumblebee" at her own game! However,
it was Arantxa delighting the fans with a winning backhand pass to
break for 3-3. Sanchez-Vicario was back even in the set, but
Maleeva was really picking on her forehand, finding a lot of success
by driving balls to that wing. After the set's seventh game went to
deuce, a pair of forehand errors from the # 7 seed put Maleeva back
ahead at 4-3.
A match which was looking like a ho-hum walk in the park early on
had turned very exciting. The tension built even more in the eighth
game of the second set. This one went to a whopping six deuces, with
Maleeva tenaciously warding off four break points and Sanchez-Vicario
refusing to let up on her. Facing break point # 5, Maleeva had a
ball floating in front of her and lots of wide-open court to hit it
into, but buried a swinging volley in the net. Thus broken for 4-4,
Maggie doubled over in agony. She was so furious and disappointed,
in fact, that she completely lost her concentration in the following
game and let Sanchez-Vicario have an easy hold for 5-4. Maleeva
opened the 10th game by netting a backhand and slamming her racquet.
Then she sent a backhand wide for 0-30...sent a backhand long and
wide for 0-40...and put one last backhand in the net on triple
match point.
It all fell apart in one fell swoop for Magdalena Maleeva, but
she had really tested Sanchez-Vicario in that second set (which lasted
nearly an hour by itself). It was ultimately a hard-earned 6-1,
6-4 victory for the two-time champion. "Maybe in the second set I
make some, you know, more errors and she make some more winners as
well, so it was much closer," said Arantxa, nicely summing up the
obvious. Next up for the fan favorite is a semifinal meeting with
Serena Williams. Arantxa won their first four head-to-head matches
(including a memorable grudge match at the '98 French Open), but has
since taken two lopsided losses to the younger Williams. "I know
she's playing really well and it's going to be a difficult match
tomorrow," said Sanchez-Vicario. "I probably have to play the way I
been doing the whole week, do my game and attack when I have to and
definitely take my chances. And if I do that, then I have more
chance to win."
Coetzer/McNeil vs. Po/Sidot
Doubles: Quarterfinal
Centre Court
36-year-old Lori McNeil has stopped playing singles and 28-year-old
Kimberly Po has been talking retirement for the past five years, but
any rumors of their tennis demise would appear to be greatly
exaggerated. Here they were, playing in the stadium nightcap match.
Both appear to be following the advice Martina Navratilova recently
endorsed -- if you're in the twilight of your career, find a doubles
partner who's faster than you. This week it's McNeil teaming with
South African jackrabbit Amanda Coetzer and Po joining forces with
French gazelle Anne-Gaelle Sidot. Arantxa Sanchez-Vicario was less
than punctual in arriving at her post-match press conference, so
the doubles match was already more than a set old when I returned.
Po/Sidot were getting the better of it, leading by a set and a break
at 6-4, 2-1. Po then had to dodge three break points, victoriously
raising her arms when an errant Coetzer return finally made it 3-1.
McNeil held at love for 2-3. Sidot, whose lefty forehand was misfiring
badly, got into a 15-40 hole in the next game. Coetzer made two
incredible gets on the first break point, but Po finally pushed a
backhand past her for 30-40. Po knocked off a winning volley for
deuce, put away another volley for the ad, and another Coetzer
return error made it 4-2. McNeil looked very sharp at the net in
Game 7, knocking off a pair of volleys in Coetzer's easy hold for
3-4. More foibles from Sidot (looking more and more like her team's
weak link) keyed a Coetzer/McNeil break of Po to tie the set at 4.
Another McNeil hold brought the South African/American team to a
5-4 advantage. In Game 10, Sidot served a fault, Coetzer returned it
anyway, and Sidot kicked the ball back over the net on the fly. That
display of soccer skill got the Frenchwoman a nice round of applause
from the remaining crowd. Sidot smiled, shrugged, and went on to hold
at love for 5-5. With the hour approaching 11 PM, Coetzer and Po
holds carried the second set into a tiebreak, which went a little
something like this...
- McNeil nets a low forehand volley -- 1-0 PO/SIDOT
- Coetzer hits a winning backhand return -- 1-1
- Sidot misses a backhand volley and bounces her racquet -- 2-1 COETZER/McNEIL
- Sidot puts a backhand return in the net -- 3-1 COETZER/McNEIL
- Sidot knocks off an overhead smash to get back on serve -- 3-2 COETZER/McNEIL
- Coetzer nets a forehand volley -- 3-3
- McNeil nets a low forehand volley -- 4-3 PO/SIDOT
- Dipping return by Sidot forces another McNeil volley error -- 5-3 PO/SIDOT
- Po nets a return -- 5-4 PO/SIDOT
- Coetzer nets a return -- 6-4 PO/SIDOT
- Winning forehand volley from Po -- 7-4 PO/SIDOT
The 6-4, 7-6 victory for Kim Po and Anne-Gaelle Sidot means there will
be two French women in the doubles final. Saturday's semifinal
matchups: Martina Hingis and Nathalie Tauziat vs. Po and
Sidot in the afternoon; Julie Halard-Decugis and Ai
Sugiyama vs. Chanda Rubin and Sandrine Testud at night.
Halard-Decugis and Testud were responsible for Tauziat being left off
the French Olympic team (even saying they would boycott if she was
chosen), so there could be some fireworks in the final.
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Last updated 26 September 2015
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