Australia's Molik eyes Grand Slam glory
Rizwan Rehmat / Associated Press
DOHA, Qatar (AP) - With one tournament title and a quarterfinal berth at the Australian Open already accomplished this season, Alicia Molik is aiming for a Grand Slam semifinal by the end of the year.
The 24-year-old Adelaide native, who at No. 9 is the highest-ranked Australian on the women's tour, has five tournament titles. She dragged Lindsay Davenport to a third set in Melbourne before finally losing, but in 24 previous Grand Slam tournaments, she was eliminated in the first round 11 times.
"My goal this year is to perform better than I did at the Australian Open. I feel it is important to do well at the Grand Slams to improve one's ranking," Molik said. "Rankings reflect what level of tennis you are playing.
"I want to achieve consistently good results at the Slams. I think I have the game to do well at big events. Things are looking up for me."
Molik won three tournaments in the final five months of 2004. In three events so far this season she won in Sydney in January, reached the Australian Open quarters and the semifinals last week in Antwerp, Belgium.
"I am consistently improving my overall game and consequently my ranking is also on the up," said Molik, the fourth seed at this week's Qatar Open. "There was a lot of pressure on me during the recent Australian Open and I feel I handled it pretty well. The fact I reached the quarterfinals at the first Grand Slam of the year has given me a lot of confidence."
Victories and consistent play recently have convinced her to demand more of herself.
"A lot has changed in the last couple of years," she said. "I am now playing fairly regularly on the Tour. I have of confidence in my ability now."
Molik received a bye into the second round of this week's tournament, where she will face Selima Sfar of Tunisia.
In three years at this event, she has been eliminated in the first round twice, but in 2002 she reached the semifinals before being beaten by Monica Seles.
"I am quite excited about my chances because of the surface here (Ace Rebound), which suits my game," Molik said. "More importantly, I want to be here by the end of this week."
