February 11, 2004
http://www.wtatour.com/newsroom/stories/NewsArticle_3156_rx.asp
Dementieva, Farina Elia, Pierce Win in Paris
PARIS, France - The first quarterfinalists at the Open Gaz de France were
decided Wednesday, with Elena Dementieva and Silvia Farina Elia advancing
to the last eight.
Dementieva, seeded No.2, had a tough assignment against French wildcard
Stephanie Cohen-Aloro, who had won her first round match over Claudine
Schaul late on Tuesday night.
The world No.10 Russian trailed a service break in the first set before
regrouping to win it 7-5. Cohen-Aloro, however, continued to go for her
shots and ran away with the second set, dropping just one game.
In a tense deciding set, Cohen-Aloro held an early break but Dementieva, on
a three-match losing streak heading into the match, clung on for a 75 16 64
win.
"It wasn't my best match, that's for sure," said Dementieva, who plays
Daniela Hantuchova or Tatiana Golovin for a place in the semifinals.
"Stephanie played at a very high level, but I'm happy I won in the end
and that I'm through to the quarterfinals."
Seventh-seeded Farina Elia reached the quarterfinals with a 60 64 win over
Slovenian Tina Pisnik and meets the winner of Thursday's second round match
between top seed Kim Clijsters and Maria Sanchez Lorenzo.
Farina Elia is looking forward to a possible showdown with Clijsters.
Although she's never beaten the Belgian in four encounters, she's taken
the world No.2 to three sets on three occasions.
"Even though I just lost to her in the Australian Open, I've had a lot of
close matches against her in the past," said Farina Elia. "If I play her,
I'm hoping I can change my luck."
Making her first appearance of 2004, Pierce struggled early against Spanish
lucky loser Arantxa Parra, Nathalie Dechy's replacement after the
Frenchwoman's withdrawal with a left leg injury.
Pierce, who missed the Australian Open citing lack of preparation, trailed
5-1 before the former world No.3 rallied. She took the next six games and
cruised through the second to win 75 62, her first match victory at the Paris
Indoors since her title run in 1998.
"I think it's normal to be a little rusty in your first match of the year,"
said Pierce. "After the first few games I started to hit the ball well.
Physically, I feel really good."
Unfortunately for another French veteran, Sandrine Testud, her physical
condition let her down in her first WTA Tour match as a mother.
The 31-year-old Testud, who last played on the Tour at 2002 Wimbledon
(coincidentally losing in the second round to Pierce), gave birth to her
first child, daughter Isabella, in February last year. The former world
No.9 decided to launch a comeback in July last year, and playing Daniela
Hantuchova Wednesday evening, aggravated a left abdominal strain first
sustained last Friday.
Trailing 5-3 in the first set, Testud was forced to retire. Her next
scheduled events are Dubai and Doha.
Earlier Wednesday, Russian Elena Bovina won her first round match over S
panish qualifier Anabel Medina Garrigues, 46 62 64.
--
"I saw a lot of my family, I took a holiday, I went to Amsterdam to see my
brother, I did all the things I don't have time to do when I am playing
tennis," Escude talked about what he did during his 6-month absence.
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