Stanford, California – Monica Seles continues to look lively in her comeback from injury as she stopped Lilia Osterloh 6-2 7-5 to move into the semi-finals of the of the $565 000 Bank of the West Classic on Friday.
“I played much better tonight,” said Seles, who came back to the tour this week after taking almost five months off due to a foot injury. “The more matchplay I get, the better I’ll be.”
Osterloh competed well in the second set, but her weak second serve was her undoing, with Seles pouncing on any slack serves.
“She’s the best returner in the world and that’s tough for me,” Osterloh said. “It’s really disappointing as I didn’t play up to my potential. I felt I had a great chance going on the court and I wish I could go out and play the match again.”
While Seles was pleased that she played better than she did in her second round match, the nine-time Grand Slam champion said that she still had a long way to go before she hit her stride.
“My movement and timing is off and I’m having trouble changing directions,” she said. “On some points, I was retreating. It’s the lack of matchplay. If I can stay healthy for just a few weeks, I should be better.”
Seles said she would have to be a lot better against Davenport, who’s beaten her in seven of their last nine matches.
Clijsters and Shaughnessy have played three times, with the Belgian winning their last contest in the fourth round at Wimbledon.
However, Shaugnessy won their two previous matches, here last year and at Scottsdale earlier this year.
“She’s a tough player,” Clijsters said. “She played great today. But I feel like I’m playing well and will try to get on top of her early to set the tone for the match.”