Florencia Labat vs. Linda Wild
Du Maurier Open: Toronto
8/11/97 
Singles: First Round

	Labat and Wild were facing off for the third time, Florencia 
having beaten Linda two weeks in a row at the very start of the '96 
season.  Wild was the higher ranked player back then, but not anymore.  
It had been a miserable year for the Chicago native and it didn't get 
much better early in this match.  Flo secured a break for 3-1, held for 
4-1, and got to deuce in the next game.  Wild pulled it out to get to 
4-2, but she made some gyrations which gave the impression of possible 
back trouble.  Something sure did seem wrong with Wild in the seventh 
game.  She made three straight errors, then lost the game at love when 
Labat sent a forehand winner down the line.

	One of the few things to not go Labat's way was a questionable 
line call in Game Eight.  Florencia disagreed with the chair umpire's 
overrule, asking "You saw that ball out?  You're sure?"  Nonetheless, an 
awkward forehand error by Wild made it 30-40 and a mis-hit Wild overhead 
completed the 6-2 set.  Just about the only notable moment in the first 
game of the second set was another line call dispute from Flo, who was 
particularly insistent this time.  Among her pleas were "this is the 
mark", "the ball was clearly out", "this is the second mistake you're 
making", and "you're so bad."  Wild stood silently, waited for the 
argument to end, and promptly dropped the game with two quick errors.

	Things went from bad to worse for Linda.  She plunked a seemingly
simple overhead into the bottom of the net to be broken for 2-0 and made
another error to end a love hold for 3-0.  "You're forcing everything!",
Wild exclaimed in that third game.  The truth is, she just wasn't playing
her attacking game.  Not that Labat let her -- Florencia kept Linda 
pinned to the baseline with consistent, accurate groundies.  Wild took a 
40-15 lead in the following game, but committed two double faults in a 
row for deuce and was broken two points later when a moonball exchange 
ended with a Labat forehand cross-court winner.

	With Flo up two breaks at 6-2, 4-0, this one looked to be pretty
much over.  It was -- Labat held at love for 5-0 and scored another easy
service break to secure a handy 6-2, 6-0 victory.  Argentina's top player
went through to the second round without difficulty, keeping the ball in 
the court and allowing the sluggish Wild to burn herself with errors.