Bravo Elena! - 網球

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Bravo Elena!
18/03/2006:

When two great fighters meet on court it's not just about tennis skills, it's
a battle of will. Friday's semi-final wasn't a beautiful match to behold, but
the audience had much to applaud, as did the coaches, and partisan fans had
to shout for. Justine was on her way to victory, but Dementieva fought tooth
and nail to grind out the 2nd set. A courageous Justine fought in the 3rd
set, but tired, and weary she ran out of fuel. Bravos to Elena as she
defeated Justine 6-2 5-7 5-7 in a grueling, suspenseful 2 hours and 52
minutes.


It was a windy afternoon in Indian Wells, and the conditions fustrated both
players. Justine started well, and broke Elena's service games as she double
faulted. No drama yet, as the Belgian champion won the first set 6-2 in 45
minutes.

Justine cruised to a 5-2 lead, and became passive as the rallies transformed
into extended ball bashing. Dementieva is famed for her fighting spirit;
especially when behind in a set. Fustrations led to a clarity for the Russian
as she broke the Belgian, and evened the score at 5-5. Elena won the 2nd set
5-7 with forceful positive tennis, as Justine left her aggressive shot making
entry far to late to regain control. The duration for the second set was 66
minutes.


Justine took a little medical timeout to tape up her knee which has been
bothering her since Dubai. The Belgian champion started well, and kept her
service games. Everything went on serve for both players as quality of play
improved slightly. Justine's movement was still hampered as she wasn't
sprinting around the court for returns , but her shot making improved a bit.
Unfortunately, the Belgian's focus wasn't good enough as she bravely saved a
matchpoint. A few easy errors, an ace, a few double faults later by Justine,
and Dementieva won the 3rd set 5-7.


Game, set, match: Elena Dementieva over Justine 6-2 5-7 5-7 in 2h51

Justine forecasted that this would be a huge fought battle between them.
Elena won her first Tier 1 title in February, and both players are at their
best in the most compromising match situations. The second set was crucial to
Justine, who wasn't at her best, despite winning in her quarterfinal match
due to playing three night matches. Elena also had a a difficult week with
three setters, but she held stronger in the semi-final than Justine. If all
goes well, Justine will play the Nasdaq 100 in Miami. The Belgian #3 seed
will play her first match next Friday or Saturday. We'll keep you posted
about details.

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Henin太久沒打比數咬很緊的比賽了
都忘了以前他才是逆轉女王
希望膝蓋沒有問題 還有miami加油囉

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