WEDNESDAY, 11.00AM:
AMANDA COETZER made short work of Steffi Graf in their French Open quarterfinal match at Roland Garros, Paris, on Tuesday. The South African won the game in straight sets, 6-1, 6-4, taking her to her second Grand Slam semi-final. Coetzer was cool and disciplined against an error-prone Graf, who only began playing well late in the game. This is Coetzer’s third defeat of Graf.
Graf’s confidence was shattered by the match, and she is probably going to slip one notch down the world rankings, after third-seed Monica Seles’ quarterfinal win over Mary Joe Fernandez. Graf said: “I was really nervous and making a lot of mistakes … It’s just the state I’m in at the moment. I probably need a holiday right now. I’ve been struggling every match.”
Coetzer said she could “sense that [Graf] wasn’t feeling confident. She probably hasn’t played as much as she would have liked and she’s had trouble coming back after her injuries.” Coetzer will now face 19-year-old ninth-seed Iva Majoli of Croatia in a semifinal bout. World number one Martina Hingis will play Seles in the other semifinal.