Mauresmo Holds Off Loit
Sunday, 24 January, 1999

In the battle of the unseeded Frenchwomen, 25th-ranked Amélie Mauresmo negated a fighting comeback from 19-year-old Emilie Loit to become the first player to advance to the quarter finals of the Australian Open.

After a shocking first set in which she won only seven points, Loit broke Mauresmo's serve three times in the second but was unable to convert on her own serve. Mauresmo, the conqueror of Patty Schnyder in the second round, is likely to face the dangerous Dominique Van Roost in the quarter finals.

Loit made 35 unforced mistakes to Mauresmo's 23 Mauresmo hit five aces to Loit's one
Mauresmo converted seven of nine break point opportunities
Loit was successful on only 3 of 15 second serve points Match time: 57 minutes
This is Mauresmo's best appearance at a Grand Slam singles event
This was Loit's first appearance at the Australian Open

Muscular Mauresmo Levels Loit
by Matthew Cronin - Sunday, 24 January, 1999

With her broad swimmer's shoulders she may look more like a 200-metre gold medallist in the butterfly, but France's Amélie Mauresmo has had little trouble flexing her muscles on the tennis tour.

Gaining her first Grand Slam quarter final, the 19-year-old sandy blonde overcame second set jitters and countrywoman Emilie Loit 6-0, 7-5 in the fourth round of the Australian Open on Sunday.

Mauresmo is best known for her spectacular three-set loss to Martina Hingis at the '98 U.S. Open, but if the jockish small town girl from Laye, France, manages to say focused, she'll be grabbing big headlines in the second week at Melbourne.
Mauresmo will play Dominique Van Roost, a winner in straight sets on Sunday over Spain's Maria Antonia Sanchez Lorenzo.

"It was my goal to reach the quarters in a Grand Slam this year, but I didn't expect it to happen here," said Mauresmo, who has an eye-catching one-handed backhand, where she takes a huge backswing and follows thorough with her racket pointing towards the sun.

"It's easier to do it away from Paris, when you are away from the pressure and all the journalists." The right-handed Mauresmo, who owns victories over Lindsay Davenport and Jana Novotna, loves to plant in the left-hand corner and pound big topspin inside-out forehands. She'll need all her power in the quarters. "I have the potential to do better," Mauresmo said. "If I keep my concentration and strength, I can do well."