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Molik Battles Past Zheng
DUBAI - Ironically some of the players of the English cricket team were in the stands when an Aussie showed the same aggressiveness with which once Steve Waugh’s team used to torment their old rivals on cricket fields.
On Sunday night, it was not a cricket battle. Rather, with a racquet in hand, Alicia Molik, winner of countless tennis battles, proved that she is still good enough to beat the good players in the world of women’s tennis with a brilliant 6-3 4-6 6-2 victory over Australian Open semifinalist and world number 20, Zheng Jie of China, at the Dubai Tennis Championships.
“It was a big hurdle. I mean beating Zheng in the first round is never easy, you know. I am quite hopeful now,” a delighted Molik told Khaleej Times after her thrilling victory.
She has reasons to be hopeful after coming out of retirement in August 2009. The former world number seems to have overcome the elbow injury which was threatening to ruin her career.
“I had six months off. But it feels nice that I am back now. I love the sport. Now it’s fun to go out there and play without any pain. I feel now I am good enough to play for some more years.
“My main objective now is this tournament. So I am just thinking about the next match now. I haven’t really thought about the rest of the year. It’s just nice to come to these tournaments and win matches.
“This win proves that I still good enough to beat the good players. On a good day, you know, when I am on, I can be really on. That’s the bottom line.”
Currently ranked 197, the 29-year-old had to come through the qualifiers.
“It feels great. I played three days in a row now. And tonight, I think I really deserved to win. I have been working hard. I have been playing well. So I deserved to win,” the 2005 Australian Open quarter-finalist added.
Molik is pleased with the way she played against a top 20 player.
“The standard was pretty high, even in the second set which I lost. I was playing aggressive tennis. She had to play some great tennis to win that second set. That’s important to me. That means someone has to play great tennis to beat me.
“In the second set, well, I don’t think anything went wrong. I had a pretty flawless first set, so, you know, she is a semifinalist at the Australian Open. So when players like her lose the first set, they come out firing in the second set. I think she raised her level. And I had to raise my level. That was pretty much it.
“I have been through so many different situations in the last 10-12 years that I am used to it. Sometimes you win the first set, then you lose the next. So it’s not a new thing for me. But even now if someone has to beat me, she has to play great tennis.”
Molik now plays another qualifier in the next round. “I have to play (Anna-lena) Groenefeld. I am excited. She came through the qualifiers. It will be fun.”
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