Patty Schnyder on Friday hit out at her home Swiss crowd for supporting opponent Flavia Pennetta as she battled for three sets to reach the semi-finals of the Zurich Open.
The sixth-seeded left-hander defeated Italian Pennetta 2-6, 6-4, 6-2 and then reacted angrily as she was interviewed courtside by former player Heinz Guenthardt.
"I have just two things to say. Rainer (Hofmann, her husband), I love you, and to the crowd, next time try cheering for me in the first set as well."
With that she stalked off court to the locker room.
"That's how I am," she said later, her voice breaking with emotion. "I played my heart out all match, I've played my heart out for Switzerland all year and all I heard were people chanting 'Flavia' and 'Italy'.
"It's the only time I play in Switzerland, and here were 4,000 people sleeping. They got behind me in the second set, but I wish they'd been with me from the start. Maybe what I've said will have woken them up."
Top seed Lindsay Davenport struggled again, a day after saving two match points against Daniela Hantuchova.
This time she looked sluggish in beating in-form Italian Francesca Schiavone 6-4, 4-6, 6-4.
STRONG CHALLENGE
The unseeded Schiavone last week reached the Moscow final with victories over Amelie Mauresmo, Svetlana Kuznetsova and Elena Dementieva, and her confidence from that run carried her to a strong challenge against Davenport.
The American began well, giving up just two points in her first four service games. But as the match progressed she looked increasingly sluggish.
After Schiavone levelled at one set all, Davenport earned just one break in the deciding set, going ahead 2-1 when a deep return forced a backhand error.
Seventh seed Anastasia Myskina also had a difficult match before edging past fellow Russian Elena Dementieva 6-3, 6-7, 6-4.
Myskina has known her fourth-seeded rival since childhood and their clashes are rarely memorable.
Friday's encounter proved to be no different, with both struggling to gain the upper hand in a match littered with errors.
"It's every time like this between us," said Myskina. "We grew up together, we play together, we still compete together, so it's tough between us."
Serb teenager Ana Ivanovic took just 64 minutes to humble Slovenia's Katarina Srebotnik 6-3, 6-1.
BIGGEST TITLE
She broke Srebotnik, who had upset second seed Amelie Mauresmo in the previous round, twice in the first set before sealing it with her seventh ace.
Alicia Molik, who won the Zurich Open last year to claim her biggest career title, will take an extended break from the game in the hope she can shake off a virus that affects her balance.
Since returning to the tour after a break of several months the Australian number one has managed to win only one match in seven events, and she left the court in tears after failing to complete her opening match when she began the defence of her title this week.
"I think I need a long period of time away, first of all to become healthy again, to get over my illness, and second of all to remain happy and to do things to occupy myself," said Molik before leaving for a short break in Switzerland.
"I think it's time to do something for myself for a change. I want to take a lot of stress out of my life."
