Myskina Escapes, Molik Ousted at WTA Amelia Island
Posted on April 7, 2005No. 3 seed Anastasia Myskina put down a challenge from wildcard Shahar Peer Wednesday at the WTA stop in Amelia Island, outlasting the Israeli teen 6-2, 3-6, 6-3 in a show of mental un-stability.
"I got a little bored because everything was going so well, and I was thinking 'When is this match going to finish?'" Myskina said. "Then I was 4-0 down in five minutes and it was hard to come back. But in the third set I started playing a little bit smarter."
Two seeded players were ousted on the day in (4) Alicia Molik (l. to Razzano) and (16) Amy Frazier (l. to (Q) Peschke).
"I think it's one of those matches where, if I'd executed my shots, the match would have been mine," Molik said after the straight-set defeat. "Virginie played really well but I had some chances and just didn't make the shots at critical times."
Polish qualifier Marta Domachowska also advanced with a three-set win over No. 1 doubles stand-out Virginia Ruano Pascual.
Other seeded winners were (2) Serena Williams (d. Randriantefy), (6) Vera Zvonareva (d. Peng 7-6 in the third), (7) Nadia Petrova (d. Maleeva, bagel in the second), (8) Patty Schnyder (d. Chladkova, bagel in the second), (9) Elena Likhovtseva (d. Dulko in three), (11) Jelena Jankovic (d. Martinez, winning the first 10 games), (12) Silvia Farina Elia (d. Medina Garrigues), (14) Mary Pierce (d. (WC) Daniilidou, bagel in the first), and (15) Shinobu Asagoe (d. Raymond).
"You have to change your mind-set when you play on clay," Serena said. "I've learned the hard way, if you hit the ball really hard, you'll go home early. You have to lift the ball more and try to get a lot of balls in play instead of going for so many winners. But I love the clay. I love sliding and moving on it."
Daniilidou's effort was more a Dannili-don't against Pierce, who ran out to a 6-0, 4-0 lead before the Greek got on the board.
"Daniilidou has a big forehand and big serve, but she just wasn't hitting her shots today and that was giving me some chances," Pierce said. "She had nothing to lose in the second set and started to play much better, so in the end it started to get much closer."
On court Thursday on the dirt are Davenport vs. Peschke, Domachowska vs. Venus, Pierce vs. Serena, Jankovic vs. Petrova, Myskina vs. Asagoe, Sugiyama vs. Razzano, Schnyder vs. Farina Elia, and Zvonareva vs. Likhovtseva in an all-Russian.
"I played (Mary) here last year and she gave me a tough time and then went on to have a great season, and a good Olympics," said Serena on facing Pierce. "I know Mary's no pushover and she always plays well against the big players."
"I got a little bored because everything was going so well, and I was thinking 'When is this match going to finish?'" Myskina said. "Then I was 4-0 down in five minutes and it was hard to come back. But in the third set I started playing a little bit smarter."
Two seeded players were ousted on the day in (4) Alicia Molik (l. to Razzano) and (16) Amy Frazier (l. to (Q) Peschke).
"I think it's one of those matches where, if I'd executed my shots, the match would have been mine," Molik said after the straight-set defeat. "Virginie played really well but I had some chances and just didn't make the shots at critical times."
Polish qualifier Marta Domachowska also advanced with a three-set win over No. 1 doubles stand-out Virginia Ruano Pascual.
Other seeded winners were (2) Serena Williams (d. Randriantefy), (6) Vera Zvonareva (d. Peng 7-6 in the third), (7) Nadia Petrova (d. Maleeva, bagel in the second), (8) Patty Schnyder (d. Chladkova, bagel in the second), (9) Elena Likhovtseva (d. Dulko in three), (11) Jelena Jankovic (d. Martinez, winning the first 10 games), (12) Silvia Farina Elia (d. Medina Garrigues), (14) Mary Pierce (d. (WC) Daniilidou, bagel in the first), and (15) Shinobu Asagoe (d. Raymond).
"You have to change your mind-set when you play on clay," Serena said. "I've learned the hard way, if you hit the ball really hard, you'll go home early. You have to lift the ball more and try to get a lot of balls in play instead of going for so many winners. But I love the clay. I love sliding and moving on it."
Daniilidou's effort was more a Dannili-don't against Pierce, who ran out to a 6-0, 4-0 lead before the Greek got on the board.
"Daniilidou has a big forehand and big serve, but she just wasn't hitting her shots today and that was giving me some chances," Pierce said. "She had nothing to lose in the second set and started to play much better, so in the end it started to get much closer."
On court Thursday on the dirt are Davenport vs. Peschke, Domachowska vs. Venus, Pierce vs. Serena, Jankovic vs. Petrova, Myskina vs. Asagoe, Sugiyama vs. Razzano, Schnyder vs. Farina Elia, and Zvonareva vs. Likhovtseva in an all-Russian.
"I played (Mary) here last year and she gave me a tough time and then went on to have a great season, and a good Olympics," said Serena on facing Pierce. "I know Mary's no pushover and she always plays well against the big players."