Daniela in Linz~

by: Jessie Lin

            Daniela is continuing her indoor season this week in Linz, Austria for the Generali-Ladies tournament.  The top seed in Linz is Amelie Mauresmo, the number 2 seed Anastasia Myskina pulled out due to the flue.  So the field does get a little more open. 

            Last week, Daniela lost to Maria Sharapova in a tough two setter in Zurich.  Daniela had a 5-2 lead in the second set, but wasn’t able to put the second set away.  These missed opportunities are really what’s been hindering Daniela from winning nowadays.  This week in Linz, Daniela’s draw gets a little easier, but not by much.  In the first round, she will play lucky loser, Lindsay Lee-Waters.  Daniela should definitely get through that one without major trouble.  If Daniela reaches the second round, she’ll likely face number 6^th seed and defending champion, Ai Sugiyama, who will have her hands full in her first match against Maria Vento-Kabchi of Venezuela.    Daniela has a great chance to reach the quarter-finals, Sugiyama is tough, she can run down a lot of balls, but if Daniela is consistent with her shots, Sugiyama won’t be able to handle Daniela’s power.  Daniela is a great indoor’s player, the surface is faster, so it suits her game a little more.  So hopefully she’ll be able to get something going at this tournament.  The key thing is for her to hold on to her leads.

            Good news!  Daniela has decided to enter the Bell Challenge in Quebec next week.  Nice for Daniela to finally play in a tier III tournament!!

            I’m feeling that Daniela can really put a nice end to the year with the last two tournaments she’s playing in!  Good luck Dani!