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Coetzer def. Lucic, 6-4, 3-6, 6-0
Coetzer/Zvereva vs. Williams/Williams, 1-1
I admit that I wasn't overly impressed with the draw for the adidas International, when I first saw it. If Amanda were to win the tournament - the last to be held at the historic White City tennis complex - her path to the finals led through players such as; Mirjana Lucic, Venus Williams, Steffi Graf, Lindsay Davenport and Martina Hingis. However, seeing that she had lost to Lucic the first and only time that they played, I would have been glad to see her come away with a comfortable win over the young Croatian.
The Coetzer/Lucic match was scheduled on the Garden Enclosure - the second showcourt - as the fourth match of the day. From the beginning, Amanda had trouble handling Lucic's pace, both off her serve and her groundstrokes. Mirjana was soon leading 4-1 in the first set, with two breaks of serve. After watching all of the top women players in person; Davenport, Seles, Graf, Mauresmo, and the Williams sisters, I must say that, in my opinion, Lucic hits harder than any of them. Her power also actually seems to increase as the rallies goes on. The downfall is that Mirjana seemed to inevitably lose the point through an unforced error, with the ball sailing long over the baseline. Coetzer knew this, and played a smart match, keeping the ball in play and waiting for Mirjana to make the mistake. After two close games in the beginning of the third set which Amanda won, Lucic again showed her inexperience by going walk-a-bout mentally. Amanda swept through the third set without dropping a game, but it seemed to me that it was as much lost through errors on Lucic's part, as it was won by Amanda.
In doubles, Amanda was playing with Natasha Zvereva, who happens to be the world number one doubles player. Mainly because of Natasha's high ranking, the Coetzer/Zvereva combination was seeded fourth, even though they had never played together before (to my knowledge.) They were scheduled to meet the Williams sisters, in an interesting first round doubles match. It was because of the crowd-pulling capabilities of the four players that the match was scheduled on Centre Court, for the night session on the first day. After the Coetzer/Lucic match, I went into the city to pick up my friend and to grab something to eat, presuming that the crowd would thin out for the doubles match. When we arrived, the first match between Patty Schnyder and Sandrine Testud was halfway through the first set, and we were able to get a seat easily. Perhaps not bothering to return to her hotel after the late finish of her singles match, Amanda was another interested spectator, sitting at the entrance of the player's area, occasionally talking to her coach and I think to Asa Carlsson and a few other players who had also gathered to watch the match. After the three set match was finished, the crowd actually increased with luminaries such as Australian Rugby League legend, Mal Meninga, making an appearance. Unfortunately, after two games of what promised to be great tennis, it started to rain and the match was called off to be re-scheduled for the next day.
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Coetzer lt. V. Williams, (4) 7-6 (7-4), 6-2
Amanda had the misfortune to run into a Williams three times in the one tournament. I thought that Coetzer actually had a chance to beat Venus, given that this was the first match that Venus was to play after a long lay-off due to a knee injury. The match was close from the start, with games going on serve early on. It was Williams who broke serve first, but Amanda broke back immediately and with little difficulty. Coetzer served for the set at 6-5, but Venus won the game to force it into a tie-breaker. Amanda led 3-1 in the tie-breaker, but Venus raised her game to win the next five points, to grab a handful of set points. Amanda saved one with some brilliant play; drawing her opponent to the net, then hitting a beautiful lob that landed right on the line. Unfortunately, she was not able to save the second set point against her, and the tightly contested first set went to Venus.
In the second set, Amanda seemed to be a little disheartened with not winning the first set. She had raised her game from her match against Lucic, and I thought that she was marginally the better player in her first set against Venus. She had missed an opportunity to serve out the set. It was also an incredibly hot day, and if she were to win the match, she would have to stay out for a longer period of time. It seemed to me that Amanda dropped her concentration level a little, and began making unforced errors that she was not making in the first set. Williams kept the pressure on, and although Amanda broke Venus' serve once, late in the match, it was too little, too late, and Williams took the match, 7-6, 6-2.
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