Okay....I have so much to say about this experience tonight. WOW! First of all, Venus so should have won that match. She was so amped when she won the second set, I definitely thought it was hers. Unfortunatley, she got down a break right off the bat and started making some very silly errors. Mauresmo is very good but she is no Venus Williams! But, her are my comments: 1. The seating was amazing. It is a very intimate environment. I was on the floor about 10 feet behind Venus' chair. I made eye contact with her several times and everyone in my section was screaming words of encouragement to her, fist pumping, etc. 2. Venus is soooo much more attractive in person! She looks so much taller and thinner in person. To be fair, my friends and I were shocked that Mauresmo looked feminine in person, just very plain. 3. I met and spoke to Billy Jean King who was seated in the next section over on the same level. She autographed my ticket. She was very approachable. I said "Would you mind signing my ticket?" She said, "Absolutely. I handed her my pen and she said "let me use this Sharpie." As she was signing our tickets I said "Can you please coach Venus?" and she said "I'd love too and she knows it." She must have spoken to her about it. 4. As far as the play, Venus played very, very well in the first 2 sets, especially in the second. Her first and second serves were solid. Her forehand held up very well until the third set. I honestly don't think there is anything wrong with her technique. She hit some AMAZING forehand winnners that were executed perfectly. Her backhand is very, very solid. Also, she's a great vollyer. Billy Jean was cheering for her everytime she finished a point at the net. It was nice to see. Venus looked over to her many times in between points. 5. If you ever get the chance to see Venus in person, take advantage of it. I am sad that she lost it BUT it was such an experience to see her in person. I am more of a die hard fan than ever. She hits the ball with so much power! TV just does not do justice to any of these women. The ball was like a blur going back and forth. And seriously, you could tell that when Venus added heat to her groundstrokes in the rallies, Mauresmo frequentluy couldn't handle it. Venus needs more match play and a couple of sessions with a sports psychologist and she will be good to go! 6. The thrid set was sort of disappointing in that she made so many errors and handed Mauresmo the match. I asked for her autograph but she wouldn't sign anything from the fans because she was clearly disappointed. I called out to her and said "that's okay Venus, you are the real number one!" She smirked. I felt great. Gosh, I am 34 years old and I feel like I have a school boy crush on her! 7. Her grunt: It sounds way different in person! As the match went on, in typical Venus style, the grunt got louder and louder. Interestingly, in the third set, she barely grunted. 8. I was disappointed that the doubles match didn't happen. Corina Morariu and Lizel Huber, whose name is pronounced HOOVER, like the vaccuum, did an exhibition with 2 other male players. They were very nice and very approachable. 9. Funny thing: my friends tell me I am crazy and obsessed. By the middle of the second set, they were both sreaming and yelling and clapping for Venus as loud as I was! My hands actually hurt from clapping! 10. 95% of the people there were routing for Venus! I got there early and got to see Venus in her short practice from 5:15-5:45. I then watched Mauresmo hit until about 6:20. I loved this tournament and will definitely be going back next year. I cant' wait to see the semis and the final. I think I have to cheer for Mauresmo to win it all. I also will be cheering for Petrova to send Zvonareva home. That's all for now. I'll give details on the semis tomorrow night. --

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