SELES RUINS MAURESMO'S DREAM; WILL MEET PIERCE

by Matthew Cronin (www.frenchopen.org)
Sunday, June 4, 2000

Blowing countless opportunities to seize control of a heavily physical match, France's Amelie Mauresmo fell to No3 seed Monica Seles 7-5 6-3 in emotional early evening contest on Sunday.

Much to the chagrin of the heavily-pro Mauresmo crowd, the athletic Frenchwoman was often wild when she earned break point opportunities or had Seles out-of-court.

"I'm disappointed. I had the chance to win today and I didn't. It's fantastic pressure to play under in front of the crowd, but I have to get used to it," Mauresmo said.

Much of the time, Mauresmo controlled the court with her thumping forehand, but she rarely closed out key points, committing 45 unforced errors. Just as importantly, Mauresmo served poorly, finishing with only once ace and one service winner and allowing Seles to hit six outright return-of-serve winners. The 20-year-old Mauresmo only won 39 percent of her second serve points, a fact that was her undoing.

"It was a match of missed chances. I had a lot of easy points that I missed - maybe I was tense. Against players like her, you can't do that," Mauresmo said.

For her part, Seles played an inspired, gritty match, chasing down numerous crosscourt blasts and not allowing herself to be drawn into a pure slugfest. Seles only committed 29 unforced errors while producing 18 winners.

"I knew I need to run for every ball and fight," said the three-time Roland Garros champion. "I had the stadium against me and the court was very slippery, so the conditions were difficult. We were both so tight; neither of us wanted to lose. It wasn't like a regular tennis match. But I kept attacking and I'm pleased with that. Today I was the better player."

Seles, who came into the tournament in decent physical condition for the first time in two years, said she is mentally stronger than last year. "Before, I would get down on myself when I wasn't moving well and I would sometimes give up on balls," she said. "Now I'm keeping myself positive."

No6 Mary Pierce crushed Asa Carlsson and then discussed her fickle relationships with the French fans. Pierce, who holds dual American and French citizenship, has been booed here in the past when the fans don't feel she has been giving her all. "I'm the French Mary Pierce when I win and the American Mary Pierce when I lose," she has said.

This year, the crowd seems to be warming up to her. Perhaps that is because she has lost only 13 games in four matches.

"I'm playing well and the public likes that," she said. "I'm not sure that if I hadn't played so well, they would have reacted the same way. It would be interesting to know that....those are the real fans behind me, when they shout for me at difficult moments. When I play well, it's easy."

Pierce has also recently rediscovered her lapsed Roman Catholic faith, which she says has allowed her to relax because she no longer believes that her fate is her own. "There are no worries about anything," she said.