The Hindu : Sport / Tennis : Venus gets past Serena

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Thursday, Mar 31, 2005

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Sport - Tennis

Venus gets past Serena

KEY BISCAYNE, MARCH 30. Venus Williams ended a streak of six consecutive losses to her younger sister Serena by winning 6-1, 7-6(8) on Tuesday in the quarterfinals of the Nasdaq-100 Open.

Meeting for the first time since July 2003, the sisters produced the same tense, sloppy tennis that has marred the family rivalry in the past. But there was plenty of effort and emotion.

When Serena lost the first five games, she took an angry swipe at the hardcourt and mangled her racquet, prompting jeers from the stadium crowd. "Her racquet is actually fragile — powerful but fragile," Venus said.

Then, when Venus smacked a crosscourt winner for a 3-2 lead in the second set, she walked to her chair with a glare, her teeth gritted in determination, while Serena admonished herself and screamed a profanity.

"She's definitely a little more fiery than I am," Venus said. "I keep it a little more even-keel."

In the tie-breaker, Serena pushed a forehand into the net to fall behind 9-8, then flung her racquet and buried her face in her hands. She sailed a backhand long on match point, and Venus raised her arms in jubilation.

The sisters met at the net and hugged, and Venus consoled her younger sister with a pat on the back. Venus grinned and waved to the crowd, then gestured to Serena and applauded by patting her racquet.

"In the last matches Serena just always played better," Venus said. "She won them. I was happy at least that a Williams won. Obviously I would have loved to have won, but for me it's like the past now."

The defeat ended a 21-match winning streak at Key Biscayne for No. 3-seeded Serena, the three-time defending champion. Venus has also won the tournament three times.

"There was nothing I could do in the first set, but I had plenty of chances in the second," Serena said. "We should still be out there."

Sharapova stops Henin

In the semifinals on Thursday, No. 8-seeded Venus will play No. 2-seeded Maria Sharapova of Russia.

"Maria should be ready to play, for sure," Serena said.

Sharapova interrupted Belgian Justine Henin-Hardenne's comeback from a seven-month layoff by winning 6-1, 6-7(6), 6-2.

Among those reaching the men's quarterfinals were top-ranked Roger Federer of Switzerland and six-time Key Biscayne champion Andre Agassi.

Roger Federer was pushed to three sets for the second match in a row but beat Mario Ancic of Croatia 6-3, 4-6, 6-4. Meanwhile in the men's doubles, the fifth-seeded pairing of Mahesh Bhupathi and Todd Woodbridge of Australia had an easy second round outing against their American opponents, Graydon Olivier and Travis Parrott. Bhupathi and Woodbridge won 6-3, 6-4 to enter the pre-quarterfinals.

The duo will next play third seeded Swede-Belarussian pair of Jonas Bjorkman and Max Mirnyi, who scored an identical win over Ashley Fischer of Australia and Fernando Verdasco of Spain.

The results:

Men's singles (fourth round): Dominik Hrbaty bt Gael Monfils 6-3, 6-3; David Ferrer bt Juan Carlos Ferrero 6-7(7), 6-3, 7-5; Rafael Nadal bt Ivan Ljubicic 6-4, 6-7(5), 6-3; Andre Agassi bt Gaston Gaudio 7-6(7), 6-2; Thomas Johansson bt Jiri Novak 7-6(2), 6-2; Roger Federer bt Mario Ancic 6-3, 4-6, 6-4; Tim Henman bt Radek Stepanek 7-5, 6-3; Taylor Dent bt Florian Mayer 6-3, 6-4.

Women's singles (quarterfinals): Maria Sharapova bt Justine Henin-Hardenne 6-1, 6-7(6), 6-2; Venus Williams bt Serena Williams 6-1, 7-6(8).

Men's doubles (second round): Mahesh Bhupathi & Todd Woodbridge bt Graydon Olivier & Travis Parrott 6-3, 6-4. — Agencies

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