Having won only six matches on the tour in an injury-plagued 1997 season, Anne Miller simply may not have been ready to battle #5 seed Arantxa Sanchez Vicario on Wednesday. She certainly looked nervous in the early going, committing a double fault and two errors in a love break. Sanchez Vicario opened with a double fault of her own, but held at 15 for a 2-0 lead. Miller settled down in the next game for an easy hold, then went up 15-30, but Sanchez Vicario battled back for 3-1. At 30-30 in Game 5, an Arantxa forehand caught the baseline. Miller didn't think so, bellowing "ouuuuuut!!!". The young American fought off the subsequent break point, however, eventually holding for 3-2 with a service winner.
Sanchez Vicario came right back to take a 4-2 lead. What really stood out for me in these early games was how early the Spaniard sets herself to get balls back. This week I've seen so many forced errors, with players getting caught off-balance and hitting weak replies. Not so with Arantxa -- even when you make her run, she gets a solid shot back. It's not just quick feet; it's great anticipation and honed mechanics. As a result, Miller found herself trying too hard for winners. She dropped an error-filled love break for 5-2 and lost the set 6-2 when Sanchez Vicario hit an amazing forehand cross-court winner on the dead run.
At 30-30 in the next game, Miller netted two backhands in a row, giving Sanchez Vicario a 1-0 lead in the second set. Miller broke back in a long game for 1-1, but Sanchez Vicario matched that for 2-1. Miller got to deuce in the following game, but sent a return wide and let out an anguished scream. Miller then netted a backhand for to make it 3-1 and drop kicked her racquet. Although she managed to mix in good tennis with these sarcastic outburts on Monday, Miller came completely apart on Wednesday. After she was broken at love for 4-1, it was all over but the shouting (of which there was plenty from Miller). Just about the only thing Miller did right in the last two games was vent her frustration by kicking a ball in mid-air. A Miller backhand into the net was the official end. Sanchez Vicario needed less than an hour to advance 6-2, 6-1.