(Translation from Diario La Provincia Digital (15/04/2002))

Magüi wins a title at last

     The Gran Canarian Magüi Serna got her first WTA title in her fourth final and third one in Portugal, after defeating yesterday the German Anca Barna by 6-4 and 6-2 in Estoril. After losing to the American Lindsay Davenport in Eastbourne and to the Spaniard Sánchez Vicario in Porto last year, and again to the Spaniard Ángeles Montolio in Porto last week, Serna could finally raise her arms in sign of victory after defeating Barna in an hour and 12 minutes, in the fifth match point.

     Barna, 103 of the world, who came from the qualifying, dreamt of becoming the second German to win this tournament (Anke Huber did it in 2000). With constancy and replacing her weaknesses with her backhand she had defeated two tournament champions, the Slovak Katarina Srebotnik and the already mentioned Montolio, and one of the most promising players of the circuit, the Russian Dinara Safina, only 15 years old, sister of the US Open champion Marat Safin, who reached the semifinals in her first professional tournament.

     After receiving the trophy by Pedro Coello, president of the Portuguese Tennis Federation, who referred to the Canarian as the only survivor of the Spanish Armada and augured for Magüi future victories, the player from Las Palmas dedicated her first win to all her ‘bench’, to her brother Raúl, who arrived yesterday to see her triumphing, to her coach Fernando García Lleó, to the wife of this one, Mónica and to the daughter of both of them, Berta.

     The win over Barna last week in Porto, also on clay, but in three sets, gave Magüi enough confidence to face this match with more calmness. The Canarian knew that her topspin backhand could terribly hurt the German’s game, so she tried that. Since the beginning she had clear that losing her game sometimes wouldn’t care too much (there were six breaks in the first set), but Magüi was leading by 4-1, although Barna worried and got a 4-4, but the Spaniard got the definitive break and won the first set in 39 minutes.

     After this advantage Serna calmed even more her tennis, let her arm go and during the three first games of the second set she made an exhibition. Her drop shots destroyed her rival’s fragile legs and she got soon an advantage of 3-0.

      After this win Serna is the number 40 in the rankings, still far from her best ranking, 21 in the world, and a cheque of 22,000 dollars.