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Schnyder turns the
tables
Jan-19-2000
The match-up on
Wednesday was a touch spooky. Patty Schnyder and
Amelie Mauresmo in a second round Australian Open
clash on Rod Laver Arena at Melbourne Park for
the second straight year.
Last year's 6-7 6-4 6-3 win to Mauresmo marked
the start of her ascent up the tennis ladder.
She was the talk not just of Melbourne, but the
entire tennis world because of a baseline game
to die for and for the grace and dignity she maintained
in the face of some cutting remarks from her fellow
players and some hostile headlines from sections
of the media.
For Schnyder, it marked the start of a horrid
year. She entered the championship as one of the
rising stars of women's tennis after a brilliant
1998 and already boasting a win on the Gold Coast
to kick-start 1999.
But following the loss to Mauresmo, she dumped
her long-time coach, became estranged from her
family and placed her career, and seemingly her
life, under the guidance of Rainer Harnacker,
who, if her results and rankings for the year
can be taken for a guide, did little for her other
than increase her daily intake of orange juice.
Not surprisingly, her ranking tumbled and her
reputation suffered.
So Wednesday's match-up, the opening clash on
what is now Rod Laver Arena, was awaited with
much expectation. Their respective careers had
each turned 180 degrees over the past 12 months.
Would they continue that way?
On the evidence presented, more than likely not.
It was Schnyder who prevailed Wednesday, 6-4 6-4
in a win she described as her best for about "10
months".
Whether the tide is turning for the 21-year-old
is too early to tell, but Mauresmo, fresh from
her win at the adidas International in Sydney
last week (beating Martina Hingis and Lindsay
Davenport along the way) was one of the most highly-rated
chances here and considered by many to be a near-certainty
for the semifinals.
"She is one of the greatest players at the
moment so it's definitely a good feeling,"
Schnyder said. "I'm working well and doing
all the right things. This was a really good win."
According to Schnyder, the match turned her way
for good when she broke serve in the first set.
"She served unbelievable and I had to fight
hard to save some break points on my serve. But
once I broke her, I was on top."
Mauresmo was asked whether she had encountered
trouble handling the spotlight and the pressure
that came with winning last week in Sydney and
replied that the events of last year had prepared
her well for that.
She said she may have suffered a letdown of sorts
but more than likely, the cause of her demise
was the faster conditions this year. Put simply,
she couldn't mix her shots and keep her opponent
on the back foot, as was the case here last year.
She agreed that Schnyder's ability to keep the
ball in play was a major factor.
So 12 months on, the situation was the same. The
highly fancied seed bundled out on centre court
in the second round. As long as the events that
follow aren't a repeat of what took place in 1999,
both Mauresmo and Schnyder will be most satisfied.
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