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Patty Schnyder is revising her plans for the future after
registering the finest victory of her career in the
Swisscom Challenge.
The
23-year-old Swiss from Bottmingen, unseeded and regarded
as a rank outsider, delivered a famous upset when she
out-served and outplayed former world number one and
defending champion Lindsay Davenport in the Zurich final.
"I
refused to talk or think about the (season-ending WTA)
Championships before and only wanted to concentrate on my
next match," Schnyder admitted following her 6-7 7-6 6-3
victory.
"But now this has happened I am looking forward to going
to Los Angeles and I am thinking about Melbourne too.
"It
has been a very emotional and special day for me and it
has been a fantastic week. This is the biggest win of my
career and the best day of my tennis life.
"I
was very nervous in the beginning but I recovered and I
played pretty well."
Learning from Justine Henin's difficulties on Saturday --
when the Belgian was distracted by Davenport's tears,
limping and frequent breaks for treatment on a troublesome
right ankle injury -- Schnyder decided to concentrate on
the task at hand.
"I
didn't think once of her foot or anything like that," she
said.
"Anyway, she ran well I think. She was running well after
two hours too. She played well. She was very good in this
match."
Having saved a Davenport match point in the second set
tiebreak, Schnyder clinched the eighth WTA win of her
career and boosted her earnings by $182,000 with a plucky
performance that gave her a decisive confidence boost.
"None of my other wins can compare with this," she said.
"It
makes you feel so good to play well at home in a big
tournament and to win a match like this."
The
win was her first against the tall big-serving American in
six attempts and suggested that the left-handed Schnyder
can once again crack the top ten in women's tennis.
Her
win over Davenport lifted her to a provisional 13th place
in the WTA rankings, her best position since she was
eighth early in 1999.
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