FED CUP BELGIUM-SPAIN

(Translation from Newspaper Canarias 7 ( 1st August 1997))

Arantxa and Magüi ‘open fire’ today against a motivated Belgian team

    Surprise, surprise. In the Belgian team Dominique Van Roost’s withdrawal was confirmed, due to a muscular problem, and in the Spanish team the Canarian María Luisa Serna will make her debut in the Fed Cup.

    The eliminatory, which will begin today at 15:15 Canarian time (La 2 TVE), on the greenset court of Tennissimo, of Sprimont, ten kilometres far away from Liege, will have as first match the one between the player from Barcelona Arantxa Sánchez Vicario (4 WTA) and the Belgian Els Callens (51), who substitutes Van Roost.

    The second match of the day will be the one between two left-handed players: the Belgian Sabine Appelmans (19) and the Canarian María Luisa ‘Magüi’ Serna (83), coached by the Dutchman Eric Van Harpen.

    Sunday’s schedule is: from 13:00 Sabine Appelmans vs. Arantxa Sánchez Vicario. Later Els Callens vs. Mª Luisa Serna. And later the doubles match, with the teams not decided yet.

    Els Callens has never played against Spanish rivals. “I understand that Arantxa Sánchez is favourite but I have to take the chance I have to give my country the first point”, she said.

    She regretted playing because of Dominique Van Roost’s injury, “but in this sport, with so many tournaments, you never know when you have to pay because of physical problems”

Nice surprise

    Being in the Spanish Fed Cup team has been a nice surprise for the Canarian María Luisa Serna, born in Las Palmas de Gran Canarias on the first of March of 1979. “I didn’t expect to be the number two”.

    She is supposed to feel very nervous. Against Appelmans, left-handed like her, she leaves as scapegoat.

    Steven Martens, Belgian captain, thinks that his players can win the eliminatory. Miguel Margets doesn’t rule out the possibility of winning, although he hasn’t seemed very sure of that when speaking. Conchita Martínez’ withdrawal is too important. The draw was made at the Palais des Princes by Anders Weenberger, from Belgium, judge of these quarterfinals.