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Page 8
Seles may lead 5-2 in the career head-to-heads, but they are tied 2-2 since her comeback to the tour. Yes, Monica dominated Mary during her hey-day as the top player on the tour, but since then, the rivalry has been pretty even. While many say that Hingis, Davenport and the Williams sisters are a class above everyone else, many believe Seles and Pierce to be the next tier of challengers on the tour. This match is looking to be an incredibly terrific contest, with some of the hard-hitting groundstrokes which have made them both famous across the land. There are going to be a lot of beautiful winners, but there are also going to be a few more errors as both try to gain the ascendancy in the baseline rallies. Mary is perhaps a touch more powerful off the ground and is probably more consistent on the serve. We have seen Monica's serve crumble in some of her matches this year as she has been getting used to a change in technique in order to develop her serve as an even bigger weapon. If Mary plays the error-free tennis she has been playing in this tournament, then I believe that this match and the title are hers for the taking. However, her big weakness is her lack of mental toughness. Of course, this is something that Monica is renowned for possessing. If the match gets close, expect the important points to go Monica's way as she can hold her nerve much better than Mary in the tight moments. Even if it turns out that Mary is leading in the match, you definitely can't count Monica out because she is one of the greatest fighters on the tour and possesses the champion's mettle which Mary is yet to develop. We saw Monica turn a match around which simply didn't look like hers in the beginning when she came back from a disastrous 6-1 shutout first set against Pierce at the 1997 US Open to win in three. This one is a very hard match to predict. It's a match that I'm really not fond of predicting, not only because Seles and Pierce are my two favourite players on the tour but also because I'm quite certain the outcome will be close. What is also certain is that whoever gets the first strike, is more aggressive yet consistent off the ground will emerge victorious in this battle. From what we've seen this past week though, Mary's form looks a little more, but only slightly more, convincing at this point of time. Once again, anything can happen! Go To Page: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11
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