France’s Serme into World Open quarters
Serme, 21, also scored the first win of her career against England’s eighth-seed Laura Massaro, with an 11-6, 8-11, 12-10, 3-11, 11-6 victory which producing the best match so far.
“I think I made it because I was fresh at the end and the match was tough physically,” said Serme about a contest which lasted one hour and contained some lengthy, demanding rallies. “I wanted this so much and I think that made me focused on playing the right shot at the right time. Some of the time I try to do too much at the front of the court. I try to play there like the Egyptians - and you can’t do that all of the time.”
It has been an encouraging 12 months for Serme during which she was voted the WISPA Tour’s most improved player of the year for 2009, during which she reached the world’s top 20, became France’s leading player for the first time, and took the title at the Alexandria Open.
There were periods in the match when Massaro was able to dictate the pattern, but could not apply the finishing touches. This appeared to affect her confidence, though she played an excellent fourth game and seemed slight favourite in the early stages of the fifth.
But Serme earned a penalty stroke at 5-4 after a mistimed stroke by Massaro, and then reached 7-4 after an unwise cross court offered the chance to make a winning cut-off.
“It’s one of my best wins,” she said. “I knew it was possible because I was close to her when I lost in Monte Carlo. But I have to learn to be more consistent.”
She plays either Jenny Duncalf, the second-seeded English player, or Engy Kheirallah, the 12th-seeded Egyptian who clinched her country’s world team title triumph over England two years ago.
Published in The Express Tribune, September 20th, 2010.
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