Los Angeles, Nov 09: Dementieva was playing for pride only after failing to take a set in her first two round-robin matches.
"I had a good season, so I didn't want to finish the year by losing three matches in the championships. So it was very important for me to win this match today."
It was arguably more important for Mauresmo. Dementieva's victory meant that she, Mauresmo and Rubin all finished the first phase with one win and two defeats. Mauresmo advanced because she managed to win a set in each of her two losses.
"It feels good," said Mauresmo, who watched the action unfold from her hotel across town. "It's true the situation was pretty weird, to watch on TV what's going to happen and to know if I'm going to be in the semi-finals.
"It wasn't going very well, but Dementieva was able to reverse the situation. So I'm going to go buy her a nice gift."



Dementieva, asked if she'd be expecting a thank-you card from the Frenchwoman, laughed.



"Last year I was here because she was injured, so she deserves it."


Bureau Report