"Alicia's Amazing Comeback" Thread

[leelee]

Alicia has to enter a playoff for a WC? Lame.

[Maeby Fünke]

They probably would have given her one anyway. She just wanted the matches. Which I feel is to her credit.

[janie]

willow said:

They probably would have given her one anyway. She just wanted the matches. Which I feel is to her credit.

Yeah, it was her own choice to play. Good for her; she really does need all the matches she can get (but she'd better win it!)

Rd 2:

Molik d. "Don't call me Bye" Bai 6-1 6-2

[Pamela Shriver]

janie said:

she really does need all the matches she can get (but she'd better win it!)

That really wouldn't say much. Look at last year.

[leelee]

If you're going to play matches while having a low ranking, those matches should be used to boost your ranking.

[janie]

andrew said:

janie said:

she really does need all the matches she can get (but she'd better win it!)

That really wouldn't say much. Look at last year.

She's not trying to "say" anything. She just wants some match play to find her match rhythm again.

[janie]

WC playoff SF: Molik def. Mirkovic 64 61

The South Australian was below her best and made to work hard by her 16-year-old opponent, but sharpened up late in the match. Molik said she was confident with how her game was progressing.

“I feel like I’m setting myself up to play well, it’s just about physically doing it in that hour and a half, having my head right,” she said. “There’s no point doing all the hard work in the gym if you’re off-song mentally.

“I’ve been working hard on my fitness. I’m working on cutting out the errors and playing as solid as I can and attacking as quick as I can.”

While Molik said she’s ready for the Australian summer, she believes her serve still needs work.

“That’s one thing that let me down today, it definitely wasn’t good enough,” Molik said after recording a first serve percentage of 48. “I was definitely not content just with the win.”

The 25-year-old is on the comeback trail after a debilitating ear infection put her out of the game for much of last year and early this year. At the 2005 Australian Open Molik had a career-best Grand Slam showing when she reached the quarterfinals.

Now as the 2006 Open approaches Molik said she is ready to step up again.

“I’m as ready as I’ll ever be. I’m 110 per cent ready to go.”

In today’s other semifinal West Australian teenager Jessica Moore continued her brilliant run with a straight sets win over Hewson.

The 16-year-old, who won the recent Optus 18s National Championships, required just over two hours to complete the 6-4 6-3 win over her higher ranked opponent.

While Hewson served better, it was the 31-13 winners count in favour of Moore that made the difference.

[janie]

Alicia won the AO WC. Final: AM.4* def. Moore 6-4 6-4

*AM.1 = A. Mauresmo ... AM.2 = A. Myskina ... AM.3 = Morning ;D

[freudo]

I'm 120 percent ready for an Alicia comeback!!!!

[janie]

That's nothing! I'm 150% thrilled she's on her way!!

[freudo]

you win

[janie]

I'm 105% satisfied with my win.

[freudo]

I rarely concede, lol, but hey, its off season hope you are enjoying it. We opt out of all celebrations except "Long Weekends..." takes the stress out of the holidays

[janie]

Really? Well we might not celebrate much this year, either. janiehub is sick.

[Brinyi]

Please pass on my wishes for a speedy recovery to Janiehub.

[janie]

Thanks, Brinyi. I will.

[Calico]

Alicia upset Nadia Petrova in the 3 sets in the Hopman Cup. I'm sure Alicia was beaming over this great win and that's a good thing because she has such a beautiful smile. Maybe this good win is a portend of things to come for Alicia in 2007. I hope so.

[janie]

Woohooo!! Beating a top-10 player is a fantastic way to start the new year (oops, I mean "end the old year"). Alicia's BACK ON TRACK, BABY!!!

[janie]

[janie]

Q. Going into the third set, were you still thinking positively?

ALICIA MOLIK: Yeah. I think I was definitely a little frustrated with myself for letting that second set slip so quickly. Felt like a bit of a blur actually. You know, when things get tight I generally start rushing. It's a habit that I have to get out of, especially when I'm serving.

I really need to take my time. I need to get my ball toss up high because, you know, sometimes I get a little anxious. I want to start the point very quickly. That's something that I'll definitely need to work on the next couple of matches.

I think I really need to clear my thoughts, take my time, not rush so I can be very clear with my thoughts.

[janie]

Lots of players have this problem and aren't even aware of it. At least knowing what she tends to do is a start.

Still it's good that Alicia got to play 3 matches here. This'll give her ranking a decent boost. But it's too bad she couldn't continue what she did in the first set.

[janie]

Alicia's back up to #90.

[corswandt]

janie said:

[Calico]

Janie, thanks for that glorious picture of Alicia. She's very underrated in the looks depsrtment. But it's her game I'm more interested in and I hope Alicia finds her form and confidence again. I enjoyed watching her play her attacking style of tennis a couple years ago and hope she can get back to that high level of tennis again.

[janie]

www.smh.com.au/news/tennis/double-delight-for-molik/2007/06/09/1181089386601.html

Double delight for Molik

Bill Scott
June 10, 2007


Two to tango: Alicia Molik and her doubles partner Mara Santangelo celebrate after taking out the French Open title. Photo: AP

ALICIA Molik has crowned her comeback from an inner-ear infection that threatened her career by winning the French Open doubles with her new partner, Italian Mara Santangelo.

The Australian, who was a contestant last year on the Channel Seven show Dancing With The Stars, tangoed around centre court at Roland Garros with a dominating 7-6 (7-5), 6-4 win over the seventh-seeded side of Slovenian Katarina Srebotnik and Japan's Ai Sugiyama.

It was Molik's second major triumph. She hoisted the trophy at Melbourne Park with Russian Svetlana Kuznetsova in 2005.

"This is a great win," Molik said. "It's only our second event together. I hope we can go on to more success."

The 26-year-old from Melbourne will head to the one-month grass-court season with her doubles ranking expected to rocket from No.59 at the start of the tournament to top 20.

But Molik had more immediate priorities after the triumph.

"We will go out for a meal, a few beers and probably finish up in a bar," Molik said of her plans to introduce Santangelo to the concept of a girls' night out, Aussie-style.

"I think it's time we enjoy the win, and celebrate, and soak it up before we have to start getting ready for next week."

The pair will get straight back to the grind, switching to grass with an entry at Birmingham this week, before Eastbourne and Wimbledon.

It took more than an hour to wrap up the first set. Santangelo was broken in the 10th game after the opposition saved three set points.

But a double-fault by Sugiyama in the tie-breaker handed over the set to Molik's team. The second set went more smoothly, and the teams traded early breaks before Sugiyama was broken in the final game after one hour, 36 minutes.

Molik was especially pleased with the bright future of her new partnership, which she is confident can make an impression at the other majors.

"Mara and I have been combining great," she said. "Especially as this was only our second tournament together. This goes to show that our games do complement each other.

"It's been a long journey for me, back from an injury. It's moments like these that you really pinch yourself and realise why you put in those long hours of practice, and why you work so hard and diligently."

[janie]

Great match today from Alicia! Finally!

Next up: Serena. Well, we'll see.

[janie]

Amazingly, she's coming back again! Starting with WTA doubles, and an Aussie 25K. Very happy news. Now we need Leach, Hingis and Henin, and we need St. Kim to retire again, and then all will be well.