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Being from the same
country as the world's top player, Martina Hingis, Patty
Schnyder has found it easy to be overshadowed.
But most of the pressure on the 36th-ranked Swiss player
comes from within. She hasn't been ranked in the Top 10 or
won a tournament in two years.
"I definitely want to be in the Top 20," Schnyder said. "I
don't feel good about being 36th and having so many
first-round losses. I really want to improve my ranking
and play better tennis than I do."
Her performance yesterday was a start. The 22-year-old
Schnyder broke a string of five consecutive first-round
exits by beating Jana Nejedly of Canada 7-5, 6-3 in the
first round of the Bausch & Lomb Championships.
"I had some real strong losses in the last weeks, so I
wasn't as confident coming into this tournament," Schnyder
said. "I was real tired, and I wasn't playing my loose
game. But I'm playing good in practice, and I hope that I
can play in the matches as well as I do in practice."
Last year, Schnyder advanced to the third round of the
tournament. She plays 13th-seeded Jelena Dokic of
Australia today in the second round for a chance to
return.
Schnyder hasn't won a tournament since 1999, when she was
ranked a career-best No. 8 in the world. She did, however,
make it to the fourth round of the Australian Open last
year.
Schnyder said she's in top shape physically. One of her
main problems has been finding a dependable coach.
"I'm trying to find a good one. It's hard," Schnyder said.
"Plus, a lot of players have gotten better. They're
fitter, and they hit harder. I have to adapt to that game.
It's real hard between No. 15 and 30. I mean, they're all
very good tennis players."
Schnyder said winning on Amelia's clay courts would be a
big boost. But it's a long shot. Hingis, who is making her
first appearance in the tournament, holds the top seed.
Schnyder isn't concerned with keeping up with Hingis.
"Everybody's expecting me to have almost the same success
as her," Schnyder said, " but I'm going to try to play
tennis for myself."
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