WIMBLEDON 2000

    Magüi had in Wimbledon 2000 her best performance in a Grand Slam so far, reaching the quarterfinals.

  In this section, we include the reports we’ve found about the different matches Magüi played in this tournament.

  In the second round, she defeated the French Mary Pierce, third seeded, getting one of her best wins, which allows her to play the Olympic Games in Sydney. Here some reports about the match.
 

(Translation from Marca Digital (30/6/00) )

Magüi Serna gives a surprise and defeats Mary Pierce

SHE WON IN TWO SETS BY 7-6 AND 7-6 IN A REALLY GREAT MATCH

    The Canarian Magüi Serna exploded at last, and she did on a court where she always dreamt doing it, on the Centre Court in Wimbledon, where she defeated the French Mary Pierce, champion of Roland Garros and third seeded. Serna’s win by 7-6 (7-5) and 7-6 (7-4) in an hour and 31 minutes culminated the work that the small player from Las Palmas, number 49 of the world, has been doing since she changed her coach and she trains with Stefan Ortega, of the Academy of Emilio Sánchez Vicario. The Spaniard reached the third round in Roland Garros three weeks ago, but she needed a win like this to believe in her recuperation and exit from the tunnel where she seemed to be caught. Against Pierce, on the Centre Court, where only three Spanish players had played before (Arantxa, Conchita and Gala León), a perfect stage so that Serna, with an intelligent tennis based on a safe serve and a perfect blockage of the ball when returning, she defeated Pierce, for the second time in four matches.

    A great result for her, which means she will play in the Olympic Games in Sydney. She got that place instead of the player from Madrid Gala León, who lost to the Australian Jelena Dokic by 7-6 (7-5) and 6-1. Serna played with and admirable serenity. She only got nervous when she realised she had to do the compulsory reverence to the royal box. But the Spaniard, junior finalist in Wimbledon in 1996 (against the French Amelie Mauresmo), didn’t numb, she hit the ball hard winning in the end. She’ll play now the Dutch Miriam Oremans, but this isn’t only her goal: “I’m now in the good way and I think of the maximum”, she said.
 

(Translation from www.yahoo.es (June, 29 2000) )

    Magüi Serna defeats Mary Pierce in the second round

LONDON, 29 (EUROPA PRESS)

    The Spanish player Magüi Serna was one of the biggest surprises of the tournament after defeating the French Mary Pierce, third seeded, who had just won Roland Garros, in two sets by 7-6 (7/5) and 7-6 (7/4). In the next round, Serna will face the Dutch Miriam Oremans.

    Serna and Pierce offered the spectators of the Centre Court of the All England Club a very intense match, very close, which the Canarian won in an hour and 29 minutes.

    In the first set, both players kept their serve and Magüi was the one with the more good hits in the tie-break. In the second set, the story repeated, although Pierce could have changed the things if she could have taken better advantage of the break chances, she had four and only got one. In the end, a new tie-break , set and win for the Spaniard.
 

Magüi Serna defeats the French champion Mary Pierce in Wimbledon.

    LONDRES (Reuters) –Magüi Serna defeated the French Open champion Mary Pierce in the second round in Wimbledon.

    Serna defeated the French, number three of the world,  in 91 minutes, by 7-6, 7-6, thanks to an excellent serve.

    Pierce, 25 years old, broke Serna’s serve at the beginning of the second set, but she let the Spaniard do the same with hers a little while later.

    Serna, 21 years old and lefty, made two double faults, giving Pierce the chance of winning the eighth game, but she recovered with a great serve.

    When they were in the tie-break, Serna broke Pierce’s serve in the first point. Pierce saved a first match point, but she couldn’t with the second one.
 

(Translation from EL PAÍS (30/6/00))
 

Serna defeats Pierce, champion in Paris

MANEL SERRAS, Wimbledon

    There was some incredulity in the Centre Court when Magüi had to play the second tie-break against Mary Pierce, the champion of Roland Garros. She had won the first one, so the chances of surviving of the French were to save that moment. However, Magüi, 21 years old, didn’t get nervous. She played like a champions instead like a player who hasn’t won any tournament yet and got a 6-3 and won the match in the second match ball.

    Her win by 7-6 (7-5), 7-6 (7-4) didn’t leave any doubt: “We’re two players with different mentalities: she doesn’t like grass much and it’s my favourite surface”. Serna’s career confirms that. Grass has marked her career since she played the junior final in Wimbledon in 1996 (she lost to Mauresmo) till the semifinals in Birmingham in 1999, her best result in the circuit, with the fourth round at the Cathedral (1998), although she also reached that round in Roland Garros.

    And this time it hasn’t been an exception. To reach the third round-in which she’ll face the Dutch Oremans, 111 of the world-, after defeating the third in the world has given her a prize of 4.2 million pesetas and a place for Sydney, in the fight she had with Gala León for the third place. “I didn’t think of that”, the Canarian said. “When my coach told me I was going to play on Centre Court for the first time my mouth feel wide. And when I went into the court I only thought that I was facing Mary Pierce, and I could defeat her”.

    For her, playing in Wimbledon is as especial as for Arantxa playing in Paris. “I’ve always dreamt of winning this tournament”, she says. And that’s why she feels comfortable on a court where Spaniards play like ‘ducks’, This match showed that. Serna blocked the ball to return Pierce’s powerful serves, she sliced it with her backhand and sent it to the baseline; she attacked with her drive and got with her wrist very good points, such as drop shots followed by lobs, which made the crowd clap. But she succeeded because of her serve. The match only had two breaks in the second set.
 

(Translation from EL MUNDO DEPORTIVO (30/6/00))

Magüi Serna ends with Mary Pierce

The Canarian defeated the French Open champion on the Centre Court (7-6, 7-6) and got a place for Sydney

A.R. - LONDON

    The Canarian Magüi Serna, 21 years old and number 49 in the ranking had yesterday a ‘perfect day’, as she said. She gave one of the surprises of the tournament after beating the current French Open champion and third in the world, the French Mary Pierce, on the Centre Court in Wimbledon. The Spaniard, who was having bad results this season, won by 7-6 (7-5) and 7-6 (7-4), reaching the third round and a place for the Spanish Olympic team. The other player who could get that was Gala León, who lost to the Australian Jelena Dokic, 7-6 (5), 6-1. Arantxa Sánchez, who was sure for Sydney together with Conchita Martínez, defeated the Italian Rita Grande by 6-3, 6-1 in the second round.

    It wasn’t so surprising to think that Magüi could win before they played because of some reasons. The Canarian had already defeated the French in an important event, on the Centre Court in Roland Garros in 1998, at her rival’s home and on her best surface. On the contrary, the Canarian likes grass “although it sounds strange coming from a Spaniard”, she says. “I love playing on that surface and when I was a little girl I dreamt of winning Wimbledon, the place where you consecrate as a tennis player in some way”. In 1996 she played the junior final, losing to Mauresmo.

    Her main problem is that she doesn’t accompany her skills with her mental strength, she gets very nervous. She couldn’t control them completely, but she controlled them enough to win the match this time. “This is my best win because Pierce is now the number three and she’s in her best moment”. She begins to pick up the fruits of her work at the Open Academy of Emilio Sánchez and Sergio Casal, coached by Stefan Ortega.
 

(Translation from SPORT (30/6/00))

Magüi Serna defeated Mary Pierce in Wimbledon

    The Canarian player also qualified for the Olympic Games in Sydney

    Yesterday was Magüi Serna’s day. Since she was a little girl and watched it on TV, the Canarian player has dreamt of winning Wimbledon. She didn’t get it yesterday, but she got one of the sweetest wins in her career after defeating the French Mary Pierce, number three of the world, by 7-6 (7/5) and 7-6 (7/4) in an hour and 31 minutes of match.

    This win gives her not only the qualification for the third round in Wimbledon for the third time in four years, but also that the smiling Magüi got the third place for the Olympic Spanish team instead of Gala León, who lost to Jelena Dokic by 7-6 (7/5) and 6-1. “I didn’t know anything till I was told yesterday. But when I went onto the Centre Court I didn’t think of that, because I could have got numbed in the important moment. Today has been a perfect day”, the Canarian said.

    Magüi really surprised Pierce, like she did in Roland Garros two years ago. Serna is one of the fewest Spanish players who feels comfortable when she plays on grass and that was obvious yesterday. She took the responsibility of the match and, although Pierce didn’t want to give way easily (she saved a match point), she couldn’t do another thing. The Spaniard served very well and benefited from this, going to the net with an enormous effectiveness and avoiding, with her strokes, that the French hit the ball like she wants.

    This win arrives “in the best moment. This result is very good for me because I needed it. I was playing very well, but I couldn’t win matches and here this has finished. This is a win that gives me a lot of confidence for the next months”.
 
 
 

    In the third round, she defeated the Dutch Miriam Oremans, reaching  the fourth round of a Grand Slam for the fourth time in her career.
 

(Translation from La Provincia (2/7/00))

Magüi reaches the fourth round in Wimbledon

    The Canarian Magüi Serna qualified for the second time in her career for the fourth round in Wimbledon, after defeating the Dutch Miriam Oremans by 4-6, 6-4 and 6-4.

    Serna, who had given the surprise after defeating the French Mary Pierce, third seeded and Roland Garros Champion, needed three tough sets to beat Oremans, an aggressive rival, whose serve and volley spoilt Magüi’s life last year in Birmingham, on grass, with the win of the Dutch by 6-2 and 6-0 in the only match they had played till today.

    The Canarian, junior finalist in Wimbledon in 1996, and in the fourth round in the main draw in 1998, will play now the American Lilia Osterloh, who defeated yesterday the Austrian Patricia Wartusch by 4-6, 6-2 and 8-6.

    The most important thing of Serna’s win was that she could forget her previous win against Pierce. Magüi, in spite of losing the first set, with two breaks in the fourth and tenth game, could concentrate and break back in the third and fifth set to draw the match.

    The Canarian made an early break in the third set. It was the key, because this encouraged her and this only break was enough to win the third set.
 
 

    By defeating the American Lilia Osterloh, she reached the quarterfinals of a Grand Slam for the first time in her career.
 

(Translation from Marca Digital (4/7/00))

Magüi Serna is already in the quarterfinals and Arantxa lost to Seles

SHE DEFEATED LILIA OSTERLOH BY 7-6 Y 6-1

    In the end only a Spaniard will fight in the quarterfinals, and she’ll be the Canarian Magüi Serna, because Arantxa Sánchez Vicario lost to the destructive game of the American Monica Seles.

    The double Spanish-American duel ended with a draw: 1-1. Serna defeated Lilia Osterloh by 7-6 (7-1) and 6-3, and Seles Arantxa by 6-3, 6-4, in the last single match of Arantxa as single, because she’ll get married on the 21st of July. Happiness and disappointment for one and another, but a new milestone for the Spanish tennis, because Magüi has become the third Spanish women who reaches the quarterfinals of this Grand Slam in the Open Era, after Arantxa and Conchita.

    All of them followed Lili Álvarez, finalist in 1926-27-28. Serna could control her nerves and the excitement of knowing she was among the eight best players of the tournament if she won. After defeating the current champion of Roland Garros, Mary Pierce, the Canarian has to forget the memories of this big win, and although she’s better than her rivals, sometimes the happiness plays dirty tricks. The example was in the dangerous lapse she had from the 4-1 in the first set, when she was playing with authority and suddenly she decreased the rhythm letting her rival break her twice and draw 5-5.

    Fortunately for Magüi, her rival doesn’t have the physical and mental power necessary to finish the reaction. Serna won the tie-break with authority and that was the key of her win, because in the second set she didn’t let herself make more mistakes.

    The best thing of Serna is that in spite of losing her serve three times, she wins many ‘free’ points with it. She got 11 aces today and broke her rival’s serve 5 times. Without seeds in her draw, Magüi will face now the Australian Jelena Dokic, who defeated the American Kristina Brandi by 6-2, 6-3. Damir Dokic’s daughter destroyed Serna by 6-1 and 6-0 the only time they’ve played before, on clay, in El Cairo.
 

(Translation from La Provincia (4/7/00))

The Canarian Magüi Serna, in quarterfinals of Wimbledon

    The Canarian María Luisa Serna reached the quarterfinals of a Grand Slam for the first time in her career after defeating yesterday the American Lilia Osterloh in the fourth round of Wimbledon.

    Serna got her best result in these tournaments after defeating Osterloh, 77 of the world, by 7-6 (7-1) and 6-3 in 69 minutes. She is the third Spaniard, together with Arantxa Sánchez Vicario and Conchita Martínez, who reaches the quarterfinals of Wimbledon in the Open Era. Lili Álvarez, finalist in 1926-27-28, was the first one.

    Now, the player from Las Palmas, who defeated Mary Pierce, champion of Roland Garros, will play the winner of the match between the American Kristina Brandi and the Australian Jelena Dokic.
Although the match wasn’t good technically, with many mistakes by both parts, Serna could win it thanks to her better serve, with which she got 11 aces, one of them to end the tie-break in the first set, which she dominated with authority.

    Osterloh came from defeating the South African Amanda Coetzer in the second round and was confident. The American, aggressive, with efficient serve and volley, tried with no result to practice her strategy, but Magüi’s return worked well in the right moments to break her rival’s serve four times, two in each set.

    Serna dominated the first set with authority, and she was even leading by 4-1, but she decreased her rhythm and lost twice her serve in four games in which she could only win five points.

    The best of the Canarian is that each time she lost her serve, she recovered it in the following game.

In the second set Serna was leading 3-1, but she lost her serve in the sixth game, to break it in the following game and in the ninth game for the last time.

    During the match, in the twelfth game,one of the ballgirls had to be changed because of a faint. Serna didn’t lose the concentration and won the tie-break with authority, without batting an eyelid because of that incident.

    Magüi Serna will face now Jelena Dokic in the quarterfinals, in the most important match of her successful career. The last time they played was in El Cairo, and Magüi lost by 6-1, 6-2.
 

(Translation from Sport (4/7/00))

Magüi Serna alone in the quarterfinals

She defeated Osterloh and will play the Australian Jelena Dokic searching a place in the semifinals. Arantxa lost to Monica Seles.

    In Roland Garros, a 17-year-old Canarian, Marta Marrero, won Spanish supporters’ hearts. Two weeks later, another Canarian, Magüi Serna, is the only Spanish player in Wimbledon thanks to her win against the American Lilia Osterloh by 7-6 (7/1) and 6-3. Arantxa Sánchez Vicario couldn’t go with her.

    She lost to Monica Seles in two sets, 6-3 and 6-4. It was the last single match of the Catalan before getting married, on the next 21st of July. Her last match as unmarried will be when she finishes in doubles, with the French Amelie Mauresmo. They’re in the third round.

    Serna, junior finalist on these courts in 1996, is the Spanish player who plays best on grass. She likes this kind of courts, she feels comfortable, and each match she wins, she gets more confidence. Besides, Magüi knows that this year she has a great chance. She doesn’t want to miss it and now she faces her match against the Australian Jelena Dokic, who reached that round last year, with hope. “Both of us are going to fight to death because we fight for a place in the semifinals. I don’t want to stop here”, said Serna.
 

(Translation from Marca Digital (3/7/00))

The opinion of the expert
by Fernando Carreño

Magüi’s prize

    The ones who love Wimbledon say that the grass gives its prize to the ones who love it. It isn’t true, that’s clear. There are many grass lovers who have never got through the first round. But if you prepare Wimbledon well and with a good mental predisposition, you’re closer to the success, than if you hate it.

    In our tennis too many players hate it because of the characteristics of their game. In women things are different because the problem of the serve doesn’t exist.Conchita and Arantxa have done good things in Wimbledon, but in Magüi we find the first Spaniard specialist on grass.

    Yes, because the story of Magüi with grass talks about a ‘love’ since the first moment they met. She gave her first steps with Conchita Martínez and was trained by Eric Van Harpen. She was with him when Conchita won Wimbledon in 1994 and when Conchita raised the Venus Rosewater Dish, he told her: “look, Magüi. You can be there one day” Eric convinced her that her conditions were good for grass and he cheered her to practice it. In 1996, trained by Van Harpen, Magüi was about to defeat Mauresmo in the junior final but she lost and when in 1997 they broke up, she didn’t stop loving grass. Magüi changed her tears because of a defeat for playing all the tournaments on grass that she could. She always plays in the English season on grass and in fact, some of her best results were in Birmingham and Eastbourne.

    Besides, when she is in a tournament on grass, it’s strange the moment you don’t find her training. She trains a lot on grass when she’s not playing.

    Magüi might be the Spanish tennis player (man or woman) except for Arantxa or Conchita, who loves grass the most and at last she’s having her prize. At the moment, she’s in the quarterfinals, and we’ll see when she stops. But Wimbledon doesn’t give her anything, she has deserved it.
 

     In the quarterfinals her dream was over, losing to the Australian Jelena Dokic.
 

(Translation from La Provincia (5/7/00))

Magüi’s dream in Wimbledon is over

The Australian Jelena Dokic woke Magüi Serna from her dream after defeating her yesterday by 6-3 and 6-2 in the quarterfinals in Wimbledon.

    Damir’s daughter won in only 67 minutes and reaches for the first time in her career the semifinals of a Grand Slam tournament where she’ll play the winner of Davenport (who defends de title)-Seles. Despite this defeat, the Canarian has won 14 million pesetas.

    Magüi’s serve, which had worked so well in the previous matches, with 31 aces (the second player with more aces in the tournament), was yesterday an useless weapon for the Canarian. Serna lost it six times and she could only get two out of 10 break chances she had.

    Damir, Dokic’s father, can be a wild animal out of the court, but his daughter roars on it. The Australian, who left her coach Toni Roche (Australian Davis Cup captain and was Ivan Lendl’s coach), because of her father’s decision, has enough with herself to fight on the court and destroy with her game, powerful and playing close to the lines.

    Magüi was an easy victim for Dokic, like in the match they had played before, in El Cairo, on clay, with a 6-1, 6-0.

    Without first serves and with 38 mistakes with her drive, Serna could do little. However, she broke twice her rival’s serve, but her problem was to confirm hers later and that’s why Jelena got a 5-2. The Spaniard played her best tennis at the end of the first set, when she saved 4 set points, three in the eighth game and one in the ninth game, but she couldn’t with the fifth ball.

    In the second set the story repeated. Magüi lost two consecutive serves and Dokic got a 4-1. Only in the following serve her serve hurt (she got three consecutive aces), but in the eighth game her serve weakened again and Dokic took advantage of that.
 

(El País (5/7/00))

The Canarian Serna loses to Dokic by 6-3 and 6-2

MANEL SERRAS, Wimbledon

    The first visit of Magüi Serna to the quarterfinals of a Grand Slam was a lesson she shouldn’t forget. The Spaniard, 21 years old, lost to Jelena Dokic, 17 years old, by 6-3, 6-2 in an hour and seven minutes, leaving on the court sparkles of the class she has, but showing also her worst aspect, her irregularity. For Serna the moment was important, because she won’t have very often such a  clear chance of reaching the semifinals in Wimbledon. However, the pressure of the moment she was living, created her insecurity. The Canarian missed her chances and was the victim of her own mistakes.

    Facing Dokic, with her father Damir always threatening in the crowd, isn’t easy.  The career of the Australian isn’t brilliant yet-she hasn’t won any tournament-, but her game has let her get some important wins against the best players: Hingis, Pierce, Arantxa and Venus Williams. Her powerful strokes from the baseline make her one of the exponents of the new style that is imposing in the women’s circuit, and they are, without any doubt, the ones that have let her reach the semifinals, her most important success in a Grand Slam.

    She’s a player who pushes her opponents a lot, because she usually plays with winner strokes. However, Serna showed she has weapons good enough to destroy her strategy: a good drive, an excellent backhand, topspin and slice, serve and return, and net game. Dokic isn’t so complete, but she’s more solid. “I tried to develop my game, but she didn’t let me”, Serna said. “I think the key was my serve. I didn’t serve well and my second serve didn’t have the same effectiveness it had against Pierce. The consequence was that she was attacking all the time and I saw her all the time, close, pushing. Everything was very fast”.

The serve

    Without her serve, Serna’s efficacy reduced a lot. She tried to come into the net. But her legs were too slow for the speed of Dokic’s ball. She tried to attack from the baseline, but many of her strokes went against the net or out. Her errors- 29 unforced and 23 forced, according to the official statistics- didn’t let her elaborate a strategy, and made her lose. “ I think that my nerves betrayed me this time”, she said. “ You think that you can do better… If I could go back, I would try to be more calm, and to be more convinced of my chances. I would use the topspin backhand more. My game didn’t hurt her”.

    For Serna, the best thing of this Wimbledon has been to reach the quarterfinals and to improve in the rankings (now she’ll be top 25). The lesson is that she has to improve some aspects of her game to try to develop well in this new competitive level she has reached. And that’s not easy.