I really did plan on watching Anke Huber's match from the press box, but the direct sunlight coming in through the window was too much to bear (4 PM was a LOUSY time to be near those windows) so I retreated to Florencia's doubles match. She and Naoko Kijimuta faced Germans Barbara Rittner and Christina Singer. Rittner and Singer were the better duo at the net, but Labat and Kijimuta kept them off guard with lobs and deep groundstrokes. The action sometimes resembled a singles match, with Labat engaging her opponents in long baseline exchanges.
Labat and Kijimuta got off to early leads in both sets, hanging on to win the first 6-4 and taking a 5-2 lead in the second. They blew two match points, however, and were pulled back into a battle. Florencia came up with the goods in the clutch, setting up two more match points. A Singer double fault ended it there -- a 6-4, 7-5 victory for Labat/Kijimuta. Flo gave Rittner a playful whack on the back with her racquet as they shook hands.
Florencia made a couple new fans on this afternoon. Two women who were watching the match spent much of the second set remarking at how athletic Labat is. The comments were well-founded -- Flo was hitting clever, acrobatic shots which would make Henri Leconte proud. It was another fine showing in what was a very good tournament for her.
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