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Fall to the ground, and rise sky high - Page 10

© Michael Cecilio

Prediction: SANCHEZ-VICARIO in THREE SETS
Result: SANCHEZ-VICARIO in TWO SETS (S-Vicario d. Martinez 7-5 7-5)

SINGLES RANKING PROJECTIONS

1-MARY PIERCE
Current Ranking: #4
Semi-Finalist: #4
Finalist: #4
Winner: #4

2-CONCHITA MARTINEZ
Current Ranking: #8
Semi-Finalist: #8
Finalist: #8
Winner: #8 beating Seles in final, #7 beating Pierce in final

3-MONICA SELES
Current Ranking: #7
Semi-Finalist: #7, #8 if Martinez wins tournament
Finalist: #7
Winner: #5

4-ARANTXA SANCHEZ-VICARIO
Current Ranking: #10
Semi-Finalist: #10
Finalist: #10
Winner: #9

Family Circle Cup Final
FINAL MATCH & PREDICTION

1-MARY PIERCE (4) versus 4-ARANTXA SANCHEZ-VICARIO (10)

• Head-to-Head Record: TIED 5-5
  
• Last Meeting: 97 Wimbledon (Grass) 4th Round, SANCHEZ-VICARIO d. PIERCE 6-1 6-3
  
• Claycourt Head-to-Head Record: TIED 2-2
  
• Last Claycourt Meeting: 97 Amelia Island Quarter Finals, PIERCE d. SANCHEZ-VICARIO 6-2 6-1
  
• Head-to-Head Record in Finals: PIERCE leads 2-1
  
• Three-Set Head-to-Head Record: SANCHEZ-VICARIO leads 2-1
  Sanchez has the guile, Pierce has the shots. Pierce has the power, Sanchez has the speed. Whatever way you look at it, the Pierce versus Sanchez final promises to be a memorable one, especially because of the way in which their styles contrast. The match-up of shotmaking versus counterpunching is made even more entertaining on the clay as both styles are equally successful on the surface. If recent form was all we had to look at, Mary Pierce is a shoe-in for the title. Mary confirmed her status as the #1 seed in this tournament by dropping no fewer than 11 games en route to the final, including a ruthless 6-1 6-1 display against Monica Seles in the semi finals. Pierce was indestructible, notching up 25 winners with just 2 unforced errors. Her serving was no less than impeccable, reaching a personal best speed of 114 m.p.h (182 km/h). However, the match-up against Sanchez-Vicario will be completely different. While the shots were coming off her racquet quite freely against Seles, she was also aided by Monica's lack of mobility and unforced error tally. Don't expect Arantxa to aid Mary in that way today. Arantxa has been one of the quickest and fittest players on tour for a good decade now and is incredibly consistent from the baseline. Against Martinez in her semi final match, she showed what true mental toughness and fighting spirit she had in overcoming some fantastic, yet patchy, play from her countrywoman. The match is certainly on Mary's racquet. If the winners can keep on flowing as they have been in her last few matches, she has the ability to post another rout. I don't think that will be the case. Arantxa has an uncanny ability to turn a match around, despite what the score is, despite the way her opponent is playing or even the way she herself is playing. With guile, mental strength, fighting spirit and a world of experience, she can frustrate her opponents by running and retrieving until the bitter end and in the process, tallying up points with her opponent's unforced errors. Mary herself is an experienced and confident player who knows how to beat an opponent like Arantxa. It will be important for her to dominate from the first ball: the serve and the return of serve. It will be important to get a few cheap points and to keep the rallies short against an opponent who can rally all day long. If Mary can get a good lead going, she may crank it up to invincibility gear and win convincingly. However, if she lets Arantxa play her game by letting up on the aggression and getting into the long rallies, she is going to find life on-court extremely difficult. If the points and games are close, Arantxa will be given an opportunity to seize control as she is extremely solid during the pressure points of big matches - her record speaks for itself. Mary's form will dictate the match, if the groundstrokes are in, there is no stopping her. If they aren't consistent (which can often happen with Mary), Arantxa may be able to take those close points and wipe away Mary's confidence for the duration of the match. I don't think Mary will be able to hit as many clean winners against Arantxa as she did against Monica, mainly because of Arantxa's foot speed. Nor do I think she will play as ruthlessly as she has in recent matches, owing to the fact that she can be a very streaky player. However, I do believe that Mary will play well enough to win a tight, two set battle.
  

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