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Fall to the ground, and rise sky high - Page 6

© Michael Cecilio

Prediction: PIERCE in THREE sets
Result: PIERCE in TWO sets (Pierce d. Dokic 6-3 6-1)

3-MONICA SELES (7) versus 11-RUXANDRA DRAGOMIR (26)
Head-to-Head Record: SELES leads 2-0
Last Meeting: 99 Amelia Island (Clay) F, SELES def. DRAGOMIR 6-2 6-3
What an epic struggle for Seles in her third round match against Likhovtseva! Seles was victorious in the arduous affair in which she won 6-4 2-6 7-6(5)! Seles probably did not deserve to win the match after letting Likhovtseva take advantage of her poor serving, but she gritted it out the way we have become all too familiar with in the past. Disregarding this match, Monica has been playing some awe-inspiring tennis and has made herself a genuine contender for next month's French Open. She faces one of the best claycourters on the tour in Ruxandra Dragomir today, a player she had experience in defeating in the Amelia Island finals last year. Dragomir herself had a good win in the previous round by upsetting Anna Kournikova in three sets. Seles could easily post a rout over Dragomir if the American plays the way she did in her second round match against de Lone, winning it 6-0 6-0. However, if Monica's serve lets her down as it did against Likhovtseva, expect another gruesome battle. Don't worry Seles fans! Even if her serve does let her down, expect Monica to grit it out with her experience, her mental toughness and her baseline prowess. But after yesterday's debacle, expect Monica to come out feisty and ready today. She knows she could have another serious battle on her hands if she doesn't keep the unnecessary errors to a minimum.
Prediction: SELES in TWO sets
Result: SELES in TWO sets (Seles d. Dragomir 6-4 6-1)

8-AMANDA COETZER (19) versus 4-ARANTXA SANCHEZ-VICARIO (10)
Head-to-Head Record: SANCHEZ-VICARIO leads 15-3
Last Meeting: 00 Amelia Island (Clay) 3R, SANCHEZ-VICARIO def. COETZER 6-2 6-4
The two just met last week at Amelia Island when Sanchez-Vicario recovered from a 4-1 deficit in the 2nd set to win that set and the match. She did the same against Suarez in the second round when she recovered from a 5-2 deficit in the second set before winning. At the age of 28, Sanchez-Vicario is still an incredibly gritty competitor who can beat the best on clay. Heck, she can beat some good people on other surfaces too! In this quarter final, she faces another gritty competitor in Amanda Coetzer, a player who plays an eerily similar style of game as Arantxa. Both rely on retrieving a lot of balls as both are very quick on the court, in fact they are possibly the quickest and the fittest players on the tour. In addition, both are very consistent and patient from the baseline, both understand the court and how to use it to their maximum advantage, both are incredibly mentally tough and they are fighters until the bitter end. Why then the heavy dominance of Sanchez-Vicario in their rivalry? Arantxa has a little bit of a mental edge as she has the champion's mettle - a rare quality that only a #1 player (or former #1 player) possesses, a quality which exudes the feeling of invincibility to all of her opponents. Now with all that said, expect a mighty bloody battle! Coetzer will be on her toes for this one, having just lost their last encounter last week and will be intent on making it a closer match. However, Sanchez has been playing very solid and mostly error-free tennis on the clay this season and is confident in taking the big points in the close battles, as she has always been renowned for. The heavy dominance of Arantxa in their rivalry should also speak volumes for the Spanish bumblebee's confidence whenever she faces Amanda on the opposite side of the court. Despite the fact that most of the four-time Grand Slam champion's wins occurred before Amanda's transformation from good to great, it would be a huge psychological advantage for her to know that she is 15-3 up on her opponent.

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