OWN CORRESPONDENT, New York | Thursday 12.30pm.
FRANCE’S 1995 Australian Open champion Mary Pierce thrashed South Africa’s Amanda Coetzer 6-1 6-0 in New York at the WTA Chase Championships on Wednesday.
The 45-minute humbling of Coetzer, who was the last player to qualify for the season’s final tournament, sets up a repeat of last year’s quarterfinal between Pierce and Switzerland’s former world number one Martina Hingis.
“I don’t think I did anything spectacular, I just played a solid game,” Pierce said. “Against Hingis I will keep it simple so I don’t commit too many unforced errors.
“I remember playing a great match against her last year and I can’t wait to get back on court and take her on,” the 23-year-old added.
Pierce, who took two weeks off to prepare for the tournament after winning in Moscow and Luxembourg, surged into a 4-0 lead in the first set and, although Coetzer broke Pierce for 4-1, the sixth seed then rattled off the next eight games to clinch the match, allowing her opponent just 26 points. — AFP