Match Summaries :: Press Box

	1	2	3
Mary PIERCE (FRA)	6	3	6
Sybille BAMMER (AUT)	2	6	4

Pierce Shows a Champion’s Heart

Sixth-seeded Mary Pierce, playing in her first tournament in six months, avoided elimination and defeated unseeded Sybille Bammer of Austria, 6-1, 6-7 (7), 7-6 (4) in a second-round Acura Classic match on Stadium Court.

Coming into the Acura Classic, Pierce, the defending champion, did not have any expectations. She had not played a tournament since February due to a right foot injury. Earlier in the week, Pierce said she would take her appearance at the La Costa Resort and Spa match by match.

Picking up where she left off last year when she won the title, Pierce led 2-1 in the first set, when she won 16 of the next 19 points to win the first set in 26 minutes.

The momentum shifted in the second set as Bammer took a 5-2 lead. Pierce refused to go down easily as she won 12 of the next 16 to tie the set at 5-5.

From that point, each player held serve to send the set into a tie-break. Bammer, playing hard to stay in the match, fended off three match points and won the tiebreak to extend the match to a third set.

In the third set, Bammer scored an early break and established a 5-3 lead. With the Stadium Court crowd cheering her on, Pierce went on another streak and won 12 of the next 18 to tie the third set at 5-5.

After both players held serve, a tiebreaker in the third set would decide the match to the delight of the fans.

At 4-4 in the tiebreak, Pierce hit a backhand crosscourt winner to take a 5-4 lead. Bammer then stroked a forehand long to give Pierce a match point at 6-4.

On match point, with Bammer serving, Pierce smacked a backhand cross court service return to Bammer who sliced a backhand into the net to end the match, which took two hours and 34 minutes.

“It was fun, a lot of fun,” Pierce said. “I don’t know if I’ve ever been that happy and excited, being out on the court at a tournament competing again.”

Pierce added, “I had three match points in the second set. It’s difficult to lose a match when you had match points. When I got to the third set I just put that behind me.”

Pierce is ranked ninth in the world.
Pierce advances to the third round. She will play the winner of the Emma Laine / Elena Vesnina match.
This was the first career head-to-head meeting between the two players.
Pierce is making her tenth career Acura Classic appearance. She is the defending singles champion defeating Ai Sugiyama in last year’s final. She was also the runner-up in 1998 losing to Lindsay Davenport in the final.
Pierce has 18 career tour singles titles.
Pierce improves her 2006 match record to 21-8.
Pierce is making her return to the tour this week after a six-month layoff due to injury.
Bammer is ranked 46 in the world.
Bammer was making her Acura Classic debut.
Bammer reached the third round at the Australian Open and Wimbledon this year.
Bammer is a member of the Austrian Fed Cup team.
Bammer’s 2006 match record falls to 15-18.

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