Words after defeating the French Sandrine Testud, fourteenth-seeded, in the second round in the US Open 1999, by 6-3 and 6-3.

    The Canarian Magüi Serna gave yesterday the first surprise in the fourth day in the US Open defeating the French Sandrine Testud, 14th-seeded,  by a clear 6-3, 6-3

    Serna, 20 years old, in her third consecutive participation in the Open, confirmed she had arrived in a good moment of form and in a good mental moment dominating since the beginning of the match a superior rival in theory, who had defeated her in the previous matches.

     “After winning in the first round without playing well but winning anyway, I was sure that I would do well against a rival who let me play my game”, said Serna. “It has been a great win that shows me that I’m again in the good way”.

    Serna, with an aggressive tennis and an excellent baseline game, gave Testud no chance of using her volley over the net, and there was the key of her win.

     “ I knew that if I moved her in both sides of the court and I didn’t make errors everything was going to be favourable for me and that way we worked the match strategy with my coach, Emilio Sánchez”, said Magüi Serna.

     “Being in the third round in the Open is something very important for me, specially after how much I’ve suffered during the last months” Serna admitted that she had a time when she had lost the hope for the game and getting big achievements as professional.

     “ I didn’t enjoy playing tennis, but now everything is different. I feel I have recovered all the interest, I’m happy on the court and I wish to do well”, said Serna.

    Serna’s win also broke the “curse” she had with Testud, who had defeated her twice, the last one last month in Toronto, although she had forced a third set.

     “I knew it was my big chance of defeating Testud and now I have to think of the next round calmly, where I reach with a lot of moral”, said Serna.

    The Canarian tennis player will face the winner between the Belgian Sabine Appelmans and the American Samantha Reeves. “I don’t mind my next rival, but that I go on doing well on court and have the same hope I have in these moments, when I feel really happy”, added Serna.
 

     The young Spaniard Magüi Serna, 20 years old, seemed very happy after defeating the French Sandrine Testud (13th-ranked and 14th-seeded) by 6-3, 6-3 in the second round in the US Open. “Yes, I’m very happy, I’ve played very well, I played her a short time ago and I lost 6-3 in the third set, and I knew that this match would be tough”, said Serna, who had lost to the same rival in three sets two weeks ago in the second round in the Canadian Open.

    In relation with the reason of the difference between her match today and that one in Toronto, Canada, Serna said that maybe it’s “that in this match I left much more confident that I could defeat her, and besides, I took advantage of my chances when I had them, thing that didn’t happen in Toronto”.
“Maybe a weakness of her today was that she couldn’t serve well, because she generally serves with efficiency, and I served very well”, added the Spanish tennis player (42 in the ranking).

    The great match of the Canarian player in this last Grand Slam of the season contrasts with the bad beginning of year: “Actually, the first months of the year have been very hard for me, because I couldn’t get good results, I was without confidence and I changed my trainer”, she said.

    At the beginning of the year Serna had the goal of being top 15 “but seeing that I couldn’t get good results and I lost many places in the ranking, I had a bad time. It’s hard to leave that situation and have confidence again. I’m playing well now and I want to go match by match to try to reach as far as possible”, said Magüi Serna.
 

MAGÜI SERNA: “I FEEL RECOVERED PHYSICALLY  AND MENTALLY AND I’VE WON EASILY”

     “I feel very recovered in my game and also physically and mentally. The change of trainer is giving results and in Toronto I realised that with a bit more of patience I could have defeated Testud. Today I have played well and I have won comfortably. I knew this match would be tough. In this match I left thinking that I could defeat her and, besides,  I took advantage of my chances when I had them. Actually, the first months of the year have been very hard for me, because I couldn’t get good results, I was without confidence but seeing that I couldn’t get good results and I lost many places in the ranking, I had a bad time. It’s hard to leave that situation and have confidence again. I’m playing well now and I want to go match by match to try to reach as far as possible”
 

    Words after losing to the Belgian Sabine Appelmans, in the third round in the US Open 1999, by 0-6, 6-1 and 6-3.

    Magüi Serna was disqualified yesterday in the third round in the US Open after losing to the Belgian Sabine Appelmans by 0-6, 6-1 and 6-3 in a match that the Spaniard could have won. The player coached by Emilio Sánchez Vicario had an extraordinary first set, in which she defeated Appelmans by 6-0. It seemed that she was going to be together with Arantxa Sánchez Vicario in the fourth round. But from the second set, Serna relaxed and lost by 6-1. In the third and definitive set, Appelmans won by 6-3, which meant Spaniard’s elimination.

    After the match, Magüi said: “ I feel anger and frustration because of the way I’ve lost a match that I should have won and that I lost because of my mistakes and lost of concentration. This win would have been very important for me”. The Canarian tennis player admitted that she was a little frustrated, but she thought she had done a good US Open after her beginning of season, and that she could do better in the future.

     “I’ve recovered the hope, I fancy playing and I know that I can be top 20, and that will be my next goal”, said Serna. “I have to be optimistic and I’m sure that the next season will be very important in my professional career”.