PORTO 2001
Magüi had a great performance in Porto 2001, where she reached a final for the first time in her career, losing to Arantxa Sánchez Vicario, first-seeded. Words after reaching the semifinals.
(Translation from www.portoopen.com (06/04/01))
Serna and Talaja are in the semifinale
In a rainy day, the winners of the day were Magüi Serna and Silvija Talaja. The Spaniard defeated the Hungarian Rita Kuti Kis, while the Croatian defeated the Bulgarian Lubomira Bacheva.
Magüi Serna had to suffer quite a lot to defeat Rita Kuti Kis by 3-6, 6-4 and 7-6 (7-5) and goes on in the Portuguese tournament. The third-seeded in Porto lost the first set by 3-6, although she had broken her rival’s serve in the second game. Kuti Kis reacted and won four consecutive games, and controlled the Canarian till the end of the set. In the second set things changed. This time was the runner-up of the Estoril Open 1999 the one que broke first, but the Spaniard was the one who won it thanks to a break she got when they were 4-4. The decisive set was close, but Magüi won by 7-5 in the tie-break. At the end of the match, Magüi was realistic confessing that she was under her possibilities.
"I didn’t play well. I never found myself at any moment of the match. I was tired due to the three matches I had to play yesterday, and besides, the court was hard due to the rain". However, the Spaniards hopes to be better in the next match, where she’ll play the Croatian Silvija Talaja. They’ve never faced. "I think I’ll feel better tomorrow because I can rest now that I’ve played only one match".
Magüi Serna commented about the chances of playing the Spaniard Arantxa Sánchez Vicario in the final (the first-seeded should win her two next matches and Magüi her next match for that). "We are friends, but in the competition we are rivals. We train at the same academy and I like playing with her because she was number one. But one thing is outside the court and another one on court", said Serna, who has played in doubles with Arantxa during this tournament. The third-seeded talked about her future and confessed that her dream is winning Wimbledon:"I’d like to win any Grand Slam, but my preference is Wimbledon without any doubt". A wish due to the Canaria’ns preference for grass. Serna’s rival in the semifinal will be the Croatian Silvija Talaja.
Words after reaching the final.
(Translation from www.portoopen.com (07/04/01))
"I want to win the final"
Magüi Serna, third-seeded in Porto 2001, reached the tournament final after defeating the Croatian Silvija Talaja in the semifinal, by 6-3 and 7-6 (7-5). Natural from the Canary Islands but residing currently in Barcelona, Serna will face Arantxa Sánchez Vicario in the final, who was her doubles partner and trains with her at the academy. The first set was quite calm for the Spaniard. In spite of having suffered a break in the first game, Serna drew immediately, and got a decisive advantage in the 8th, when she broke the Croatian’s serve, winning by 6-3.
In the second set, Serna got a break in the first game, but allowed the Croatian to draw the score when she was leading by 3-2. After two consecutive breaks, there was a tie-break that the Spaniard won by 7-5.
At the end of the match, the Spaniard was very happy, although she said thet her win over the Croatian hadn’t been easy:"It has been difficult to play because it eas very windy. The balls went to all the sides. I was well in the first set, but in the secod, when I could lead 5-2, I got nervous and let her recover. But fortunately I could react and finally won", she explained. For the final, Serna is confident, and although she respects her rival, the Canarian is sure that she has her chances of winning.
"Last year I played Arantza twice, in Hamburg and Roland Garros, and lost both. But anything can happen in the final because both of us can have our day. Like her, I want to win and both of us will be very motivated. This year, my gane is more solid than last season’s, when I had many ups and downs. Now I’m more regular and competitive on the court, and that can be seen in my tennis because I’m more confident". A win in Porto would be a step more so that Serna, 28 in the ranking, could achieve her goal for this year, to finish the season being top 15.
Words after the final.
(Translation from www.infordesporto.pt )
"I didn’t play a good match. At the beginning I was very nervous, which conditioned my game. Anyway, Arantxa played very well and always dominated the match. I could never get into the match and control my nerves. I played a bad match. I didn’t play well at any moment. In spite of everything, this has been a good week. I’ve never defeated Arantxa. It’s difficult because she always fights a lot all the points and that way it’s more difficult"
(Translation from www.portoopen.com (08/04/01))
The own Serna confessed that she went into the court with fear "I don’t know very well why. Maybe because it was my first final, for playing against Arantxa...I couldn’t control my nerves", she says. "It was a strange match. I was very nervous and tense from the beginning with a very negative thought, and that doesn’t help you much. I couldn’t play at my level during the whole match and couldn’t reach the level I’ve been during the week. Anyway, Arantxa played very well and never gave me the chance of getting into the match".
At the end of the match, Arantxa Sánchez Vicario praised her young rival’s attitude, saying that her experience had been decisive for her win. These words didn’t comfort Magüi Serna: "From my point of view, I didn’t play well at any moment during the match"
In spite of the defeat in the final, Magüi Serna was very satisfied with her performance in this tournament, although she goes to Lisbon with a bad taste in her mouth "It was a good week and I’m happy for what I did during this time, but I finish the week with a bad taste in my mouth because I didn’t show my real level in the final". This week, at the Estoril Open, Magüi will have a second chance.