Motherhood, tennis are a good mix.

Publication: South Florida Sun-Sentinel (via Knight-Ridder/Tribune News Service)

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COPYRIGHT 2004 South Florida Sun-Sentinal

Byline: Charles Bricker

KEY BISCAYNE, Fla. _ She's feisty, as always. She's funny, as usual. And now Ruxandra Dragomir-Ilie, 31, of Miami, is the only mother in the Nasdaq-100 Open.

All that with only one regret.

"I want to be the oldest player in the draw," she said, faking a pout Tuesday after defeating young Anna-Lena Groenefeld of Germany 6-4, 6-4 in the final round of qualifying.

She can't have that honor. Amy Frazier has her beaten by one month and five days, but it's not a problem. After taking two years off to have Filip Ilie, who is 20 months old, she's happy just to be back swatting tennis balls.

Once No. 15 in the world, Dragomir-Ilie earned her reputation on clay courts, where she won...

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