Mauresmo Made to Battle

By Chris Davies
March 9 2003

Amelie Mauresmo of France won Saturday night to join Jennifer Capriati and Lindsay Davenport in the fourth round of the Pacific Life Open tennis tournament

The fifth-seeded Mauresmo struggled for 2 hours, 11 minutes before winning, 6-3, 5-7, 6-2, over in-form Tamarine Tanasugarn.

"It was very tough,'' said Mauresmo, playing in only her third event of the year. ``It was one of those days where you don't feel very good, very comfortable, and nothing is going the right way"

"I felt like I was not moving too well, not hitting the ball very well. So I just had to do the best I could do and give 100 percent and fight. That's what I did"

Earlier on Jennifer Capriati looking for her first title in 14 months and Lindsay Davenport both were comfortable winners.

Capriati said she was bothered slightly by Denisa Chladkova's unusual rhythm, but otherwise had no problem in winning, 6-2, 6-2.

"I think I played confidently and relaxed," said Capriati, who won 61 of 97 points. "She's a difficult opponent to play. She's got her own rhythm so you have to go along with it, sort of up and down. But I think I just concentrated on my own game and my own shots. I think I executed everything pretty well"

Davenport lost serve twice, but broke Elena Likhovtseva's serve six times and won the final nine games to eliminate the 25th-seeded Russian, 6-3, 6-0.


Results

(23) Meghann Shaughnessy (USA) d. (12) Eleni Daniilidou (GRE)
6-4, 6-3

(4) Lindsay Davenport (USA) d. (25) Elena Likhovtseva (RUS)
6-3, 6-0

Magui Serna (ESP) d. Angelique Widjaja (INA)
7-5, 6-2

Vera Zvonareva (RUS) d. Svetlana Kuznetsova (RUS)
3-6, 7-6(5), 6-4

(2) Jennifer Capriati (USA) d. Denisa Chladkova (CZE)
6-2, 6-2

(13) Elena Bovina (RUS) d. (Q) Samantha Reeves (USA)
6-1, 6-0

(5) Amelie Mauresmo (FRA) d. (29) Tamarine Tanasugarn (THA)
6-3, 5-7, 6-2

(14) Elena Dementieva (RUS) d. Virginia Ruano Pascual (ESP)
6-3, 6-7(1), 6-3