Fernandez Finally Gets a Title : Women’s tennis: She ends 28-month drought by beating Coetzer in final of Evert Cup.

Her winless streak stretched out in front of her, sort of the tennis equivalent of a lonely stretch of parched, low desert.

Mary Joe Fernandez hadn’t won a tournament in more than two years, which was bad enough, but she certainly didn’t look like she was on the verge of turning it around anytime soon. At least not Sunday.

Down two match points to Amanda Coetzer in the final of the Matrix Essentials/Evert Cup, Fernandez steadied herself and tried to remain positive. She tried to forget.

She didn’t think about losing her last four finals. She didn’t think about going on to lose after reaching 21 semifinals since 1990.

“No, I wasn’t too negative out there,” Fernandez said. “I kept fighting. I never gave up.”

There’s the power of positive thinking for you. Fernandez saved the two match points, briefly considered chewing the grip off her racket when she missed two match points of her own in a third set tiebreaker, then watched Coetzer nudge a ball into the net on a third match point to end it.

Fernandez breathed a sigh of relief and walked off the court at Hyatt Grand Champions as a 3-6, 6-1, 7-6 (8-6) winner in 2 hours 42 minutes of tennis that could have been the start of something new for Fernandez.

The last time she walked off any court under similar circumstances was 28 months ago when she won at Filderstadt, Germany.

“It’s a good breakthrough,” Fernandez said.

“I did feel a little pressure on me because I was expected to win. Usually it’s the quarterfinals or semifinals, but now I’m confident I can do it.”

Of course, confidence and tennis are funny things because if Coetzer had dropped one ball an inch inside the baseline instead of an inch outside, Fernandez probably would have been talking about how her confidence was shot.

After blowing seven break points in the third set, Coetzer finally pulled even with Fernandez at 4-4, held serve for 5-4 and worked Fernandez to 15-40 for two match points.

Coetzer missed them both by an inch.

On the first, her backhand was just wide. On the second, she hit a lob that landed in the shadow of the baseline, just long.

“It could have gone either way,” Coetzer said.

Actually, that’s precisely how the match played out the first two sets. Staying back, Coetzer took the opening set with ease, then Fernandez bagged the second by coming to the net whenever she could.

It was a startling change of tactics and changed the complexion of the match. It was both daring and correct strategy, especially for someone who moves as well as Fernandez.

“I’d rather lose knowing I tried to do the right thing than by playing defensive,” Fernandez said.

She didn’t have to experience the downside, which is sort of a new feeling for Fernandez, who used the occasion to practice her philosophy afterward: “A win is a win, whether it’s 7-6 in the third or 6-1, 6-1.”

Winning also improved her mental outlook after a 28-month drought. She kept telling herself, “You’ve got to be patient. It will happen.” And it did.