- News>
- Tennis
Mauresmo, Capriati, Dementieva breeze into Pilot Pen semis
New Haven (Connecticut), Aug 22: Second-seeded Amelie Mauresmo advanced to the semifinals of the Pilot Pen with a 6-4 6-4 victory over Ai Sugiyama.
New Haven (Connecticut), Aug 22: Second-seeded Amelie Mauresmo advanced to the semifinals of the Pilot Pen with a 6-4 6-4 victory over Ai Sugiyama.
Mauresmo, who won the last five games of the match, will play third-seeded Jennifer Capriati today.
"I'm expecting a big match," Mauresmo said.
Capriati advanced with a 6-2 5-7 6-1 victory over Anna Pistolesi in the blazing midday sun, snapping the longest win streak on the WTA Tour. Pistolesi won her last 12 matches and was coming off clay court titles in Poland and Finland.
Elena Dementieva also advanced to the semifinals with a 6-1 6-1 victory over qualifier Cara Black. She will play the winner of a late quarterfinal between top-seeded Lindsay Davenport and Magui Serna.
It was a breakthrough win for Mauresmo at New Haven. She had never made it past the quarterfinals in four previous tries.
Down 4-1 in the second set, Mauresmo broke the eighth-seeded Sugiyama with relentless groundstrokes and a solid service game.
Sugiyama was unable to hold serve the rest of the way and Mauresmo closed out the match with a hard, slicing, 159 kph ace.
"She started to dictate the game a little bit more in the second set," Mauresmo said. "I really tried to turn it around and make sure I hit every shot and to be aggressive."
Bureau Report
Mauresmo, who won the last five games of the match, will play third-seeded Jennifer Capriati today.
"I'm expecting a big match," Mauresmo said.
Capriati advanced with a 6-2 5-7 6-1 victory over Anna Pistolesi in the blazing midday sun, snapping the longest win streak on the WTA Tour. Pistolesi won her last 12 matches and was coming off clay court titles in Poland and Finland.
Elena Dementieva also advanced to the semifinals with a 6-1 6-1 victory over qualifier Cara Black. She will play the winner of a late quarterfinal between top-seeded Lindsay Davenport and Magui Serna.
It was a breakthrough win for Mauresmo at New Haven. She had never made it past the quarterfinals in four previous tries.
Down 4-1 in the second set, Mauresmo broke the eighth-seeded Sugiyama with relentless groundstrokes and a solid service game.
Sugiyama was unable to hold serve the rest of the way and Mauresmo closed out the match with a hard, slicing, 159 kph ace.
"She started to dictate the game a little bit more in the second set," Mauresmo said. "I really tried to turn it around and make sure I hit every shot and to be aggressive."
Bureau Report