Jul 16, 2008

Ex-Stanford star ousted by Schnyder

Liu shows rust in loss to tour vet; qualifiers' upsets highlight session

By John Reid / Daily News Staff Writer

Amber Liu showed flashes of why she was a four-time All-American for Stanford in her first-round match with No. 5 seed Patty Schnyder in the Bank of the West Classic on Tuesday night. Schnyder, though, showed why she is the No. 13-ranked player in the world, routing Liu 6-1, 6-1.

Liu hadn't played since March, and it was obvious that coming back to play against an opponent such as Schnyder was too daunting of a task.

"I have been practicing," said Liu, who won two NCAA singles titles at Stanford between 2002 and 2006. "But it was really hard to come back against such a strong player like her. I hit a flatter ball. She hits an even-paced ball. She hit shots short and deep. And she's a lefty. I tried to stay away from her forehand."

Schnyder, who reached as high as No. 7 in the world in November of 2005, used a powerful serve to dominate Liu. Schnyder had three aces and held every serve. Schnyder also had Liu guessing, at times, with Schnyder's shot going one way and Liu the other way. Schnyder would occasionally execute a skillful dropshot which Liu had no chance to return.

"My speed around the court is one of my strengths," Schnyder said. "I read the game well. I played all sorts of shots and I was able to adjust to her shots early."

Liu, who had many of the crowd in attendance behind her, had too many forced errors to make a match of it. She also had trouble getting her first serve in, which could be attributed in part to the long layoff.

Liu was perfect in the game she won in the first set, blanking Schnyder while holding her serve.

"I showed glimpses of how I know I can play," said Liu, who received $4,175 for her match. "I just couldn't put it together. I know the crowd wanted to get behind me. Playing at Stanford is like my second home. It was a no-brainer to say yes to playing at Stanford."

Liu wouldn't go on record that she is engaged to former tennis pro Michael Chang, but an Associated Press story reported the news over the weekend. Chang, who coaches Liu, was in attendance Tuesday evening.

"It's an exciting time in my life," Liu said.

Upsets were the norm of the day session as three of the four qualifiers entered in the tournament won. No. 7 seed Nadia Petrova of Russia lost to Slovakia's Dominika Cibulkova 6-4, 3-6, 6-3. No. 8 Francesca Schiavone of Italy fell to Canadian qualifier Aleksandra Wozniak 2-6, 6-3, 6-2.
Tonight, Serena Williams, the No. 1 seed, takes on 15-year-old Michelle Larcher De Brito of Portugal. Larcher De Brito is the youngest player in the tournament. It will be Williams' first match since losing to her sister Venus in the Wimbledon final.

Larcher De Brito stunned Gisela Duko of Argentina 7-5, 7-6 (1) on Tuesday, and fellow qualifier Samantha Stosur of Australia defeated Anastasia Rodionova of Russia, 6-3, 6-1.

The only qualifier to lose was England's Anne Keothavong, who was beaten by India's Sania Mirza 7-5, 6-0.

Yesterday's day session attendance was 1,548.