WOMEN MASTER 1999
 

About the match against Cristina Torrens (1/4 finals)
 
 

(Translation from Diario La Verdad de Murcia (11/12/1999))

Serna defeated Torrens

    In this match the expected happened and the Canarian Magüi Serna defeated the player from Navarra, but residing in Valencia, Cristina Torrens in two sets, 6-4, 6-4. However, although the two sets ended with the same score, they were very different. The first set was very closed; Torrens showed that she likes fast courts and she plays well on them; although the better quality of the Canarian player prevailed.

    The second set was almost without stopping for Serna, but a break with 5-3, and almost with the set won, encouraged Torrens, who got a 5-4, but finally the expected happened.
 

(Translation from www.terra.es (11/12/1999))

ARANTXA-LEÓN AND CONCHITA-SERNA, IN SEMIFINALS

    Conchita Martínez - Magüi Serna and Arantxa Sánchez Vicario - Gala León are the semifinals that will be played today Saturday in Murcia in the first Spanish Women Master of  Tennis. To reach them, Serna has defeated Cristina Torrens, and Gala León defeated María Antonia Sánchez.

Serna defeated Torrens.

    Magüi Serna reached the semifinals after defeating Cristina Torrens by 6-4, 6-4. The Canarian player dominated the match from the beginning and based her win on her serve and the power of her return.

    Cristina Torrens couldn’t keep her serve in the first set and Magüi broke it three consecutive times, which influenced Torrens in her game. This way, Magüi won the first set by 6-4. The second set began closed, until a new break of Serna. Since then, Magüi dominated completely the match and sentenced the match with another 6-4.

Magüi and Gala excited

    At the end of their matches the two winners were very excited about the semifinals.
Gala León said: “ I hope the match against Arantxa is closed and I’m looking forward to defeating her and reach the final “

    Magüi said: “ Physically I feel very good, although the fact of playing two consecutive matches can affect me. Anyway, I hope to play my best tennis and have chances of defeating Conchita”.
 

About the match against Conchita Martínez (1/2 finals)

(Translation from www.yahoo.es (11/12/1999))

Conchita reaches the final after defeating Magüi Serna (6-1, 6-1)

    Conchita Martínez reached the final of the first Women Master after defeating the Canarian Magüi Serna by a clear 6-1, 6-1, in what a priori was supposed to be a match with an uncertain score. However, the Aragonese player remembered again her good days and in one of her best matches of last times got a clear win.

    The match was only played in the first two games, when the Canarian got her first serve and was for the  first and only time ahead in the match. Later the Aragonese had to play and with 40-0 she saw how Serna forced a deuce, in what was the most difficult moment for Conchita in the whole match.
From that moment, the way to the final for Conchita was very easy and the semifinal had no history.

    Martínez got the following five games, losing only a point in her two following serves, which together with three breaks gave a score of 6-1, which was the end of this first set in 28 minutes.

    The Canarian, who had reached this semifinal after defeating Cristina Torrens in quarterfinals by 6-4, 6-4,made many unforced errors. Conchita just benefited from her rival’s errors and only few times showed her drive, which was the best of the circuit one day.

    The second set went on in the same way, with a Conchita who dominated the game. In the first game of this second set and with 40-0 for Martínez, Magüi got a point, which supposed to end with a run of bad luck of 15 consecutive points lost, which showed what was happening on the court.

    The Aragonese got fast an advantage of  3-0 against a Magüi, who had to be treated because of a blister in the thumb of her left hand, which explained in some way the great quantity of errors made by the Canarian.

    After this “break”, and after Conchita broke again Magüi’s serve, and the score 4-0, Magüi’s reaction arrived and broke Conchita’s serve by 0-40, in the only chance she had in the whole match.

    However, everything was a “mirage” and Conchita got the two following games and with a new 6-1 reached the final.
 

(Translation from La Verdad de Murcia (12/12/1999))

    Earlier, Conchita Martínez defeated the Canarian Magüi Serna in only one hour by 6-1, 6-1 in a clear way in the first semifinal.

    In the first set Magüi won her first serve and it was the only game he won in this set. From then she played in a rash way wanting to finish very early the points, making as a result unforced errors and not benefiting this time from her better backhand. Conchita Martínez was well placed on court and she only made the necessary effort to win the first set.

    In the second set the player from Huesca took the initiative not wanting to give chances to a possible reaction of her rival, winning the first four games. Then Magüi, serving Conchita, played in a spectacular way breaking that serve, returning in this way the crowd encouragement, who had been encouraging her all the time, but she could only get a game.
 

(Translation from www.terra.es (11/12/1999))

FINAL AGAINST ARANTXA AND CONCHITA NOT POSSIBLE BECAUSE OF ARANTXA’S WITHDRAWAL

    The Aragonese Conchita Martínez qualified for the final of the first National Master of tennis, being played at the Sports Palace in Murcia, after defeating the Canarian Magüi Serna in the first semifinal by 6-1, 6-1 in less than an hour.

    Serna, who had defeated Cristina Torrens, won however the first game of the match despite having made two double faults with her serve. Martínez reacted immediately and drawed the match with her serve in a beginning of match characterized by many mistakes of both players.

    The Aragonese was the first one to concentrate and that was useful to take the initiative. With a safe tennis from the baseline, she was winning point by point against a confused Serna who, despite risking with her serve, didn’t benefit from it. In fact, she made many double faults and very few aces. She lost her serve six times, and Conchita only one. Martínez won ten consecutive games, which made her win the first set and sentence the second one with a 4-0, finally 6-1.