2001
VENUS RISING IN NEW HAVEN
WILLIAMS TO DEFEND TWO-TIME PILOT PEN TITLE
1999 & 2000 Champion, World No. 2 To Return; Field Now Has 7 Of Top 10
NEW HAVEN, CON
July 2
Tennis fans across Connecticut have another good reason to get excited about their hometown tournament. Defending champion Venus Williams, currently ranked No. 2 in the world, will compete in this year's Pilot Pen Tennis presented by Michelob Light, A USTA Event, held August 17-25 at the Connecticut Tennis Center at Yale. Williams' addition gives the field seven of the world's top-10-ranked Sanex WTA Tour players.
Williams, 21, earned her second consecutive Pilot Pen crown last year with wins over fifth-seeded Amanda Coetzer in the semifinals and second-seeded Monica Seles in the final. She also won her first two Grand Slam titles at Wimbledon and the U.S Open, both wins coming over former world No. 1 Lindsay Davenport. Williams capped her tremendous 2000 by winning two Gold Medals at the Olympics in Sydney, as she claimed the singles title and teamed with younger sister Serena to capture the doubles Gold. The above championships were part of a 35-match winning streak.
The elder Williams has added two singles titles in 2001, winning the prestigious Ericsson Open in Miami and the Betty Barclay Cup in Hamburg, Germany. She now has 17 singles championships and eight doubles crowns in her career.
Williams burst onto the tennis scene in 1997, when at age 17 she reached the finals in her first U.S. Open appearance. After winning three titles in 1998 and breaking into the top 5, she won six championships in 1999, including a defense of her crown at the Ericsson Open and wins at Tier I events in Rome and Zurich. Her Grand Slam run has also included quarterfinal finishes or better in 12 of her last 14 events.
"Having Venus back as our two-time defending champion puts an exclamation mark on our outstanding player field," said Anne Worcester, tournament director. "Her popularity and celebrity transcends tennis, and we know Connecticut fans will enjoy watching her at the Pilot Pen again next month."
The field also boasts 11 of the top-21-ranked women's pros. Other headliners already committed to the Pilot Pen Tennis field include Jennifer Capriati (No. 4), Amelie Mauresmo (No. 6), Kim Clijsters (No. 7), Seles (No. 8), Justine Henin (No. 9), Nathalie Tauziat (No. 10), Elena Dementieva (No. 12), Jelena Dokic (No. 16), Meghann Shaughnessy (No. 18) and Anke Huber (No. 21). The remainder of the direct entries into the field will be announced next week.
Venus Williams Retains her Title
Barry Newcombe
Sunday, July 8, 2001
Ladies' Singles Final:
Venus Williams (USA) v Justine Henin (BEL)
Williams defeated Henin 6-1 3-6 6-0
First Set (24 min) Williams 6-1
Venus Williams produced a powerful display in the first set as she brushed aside a nervous but unlucky Justine Henin.
Williams started with two double faults but took the next four points to hold serve 1-0. The next two games went with serve for Williams to lead 2-1. Henin then saved four break points on her serve, double faulted to concede a fifth break point and then failed to pick up a Williams' shot in the forecourt. Williams led 3-1.
The Champion held serve to increase her lead to 4-1. In contrast, Henin failed to hold her serve in the next game. At 15-15 Henin could not pick up a drop shot, then hit a backhand error and forehand error to lose serve. Williams was now 5-1 ahead.
Williams then went to 40-0 on her serve. She missed one of her three set points, with a wide backhand, before an angled smash took the game and set 6-1.
Second Set (28 min) Henin 6-3
Henin held to love and then Williams held her serve to 15 to draw the set level at 1-1. Henin then held her serve in a game that include an 11-stroke rally.
The next two games both went to serve, although in the fifth game Henin saved a break point at advantage Williams and went on to take the game.
Henin was leading 3-2 when play was suspended because of rain.
Second set.Henin held to love,Williams held to 15,Henin held to 15 including 11 stroke rally for 40-15,Henin leads 2-1 Williams held to 30,served third ace,to level 2-2.
In fifth game Henin saved a break point at advantage Williams and held serve for 3-2. Rain then suspended play. .
After 19 minutes delay,play resumed. Williams held to 30 for. 3-3.Henin held to love for 4-3, Williams lost serve to 15--smas by Henin,double fault,two bakchand errors. Henin leads 5-3.
Henin held serve for set 6-3 to gain standing ovation from crowd.Henin gained two set points at 40-15 when Williams missed backhand,then volleywinner for set.
Third Set (20 min) Williams 6-0
Williams held to love 1-0. Williams broke Henin serve on third break point.Williams leads 2-0. Williams held to love for 3-0.
Williams broke serve to 30 to lead 4-0. Williams held to lead 5-0.
Henin,serving to stay in the fimal,went two match points down,saved one with a service winner to the Williams forehand but netted a backhand on the next. Willians wins. 6-1 3-6 6-0. Match ended in drizzling rain.
Williams Wins Acura Classic For Second Straight Year
August 05, 2001
San Diego - Serving 13 aces and registering 37 winners, Venus Williams overpowered Monica Seles to win the $750,000 Acura Tennis Classic on Sunday for the second straight year.
Seles lost the opening four games of the second set and never recovered as she was defeated in the final here for the fourth time, including last year's defeat to Williams. She has now lost to Venus in all six of their encounters.
"I know today Monica didn't play her best," Williams said. "I've played very good here. I was able to play the bigger points well and that's what I would really like to do, especially going into another Grand Slam."
Williams won her fourth event in 2001, adding to her success in Miami, Hamburg and Wimbledon. She has collected 19 career titles.
"Venus just played better today," Seles said. "She was just serving really well and that was tough. ... My serve kind of went haywire today and I felt that was the key to the match."
"She aced me and when she does that at those speeds there's not much you can do," Seles added. "Everybody is beatable, but you have to have the same weapons she does, like a big first serve. She had a very tough combination - she has power behind her and her movement is great."
Seles tried moving her opponent from side-to-side in the backcourt, but the 6-foot-1 Williams returned several balls that seemed out of reach.
Competing in just her third event since March after being sidelined by a foot injury, Seles beat 1991 champion Jennifer Capriati in the quarterfinals and avenged her 1997 defeat with the victory over Martina Hingis in the semifinals. But the nine-time Grand Slam winner could not make it three in a row.
"It feels great to finally win some tough matches, but I still need to add a few weapons to my game," Seles said. "I'm playing better, but my serve hasn't been good."
Despite the victory, Williams will drop a spot to No. 4 in the world.
"It's so hard to keep my ranking," said Williams, who has played just 10 tournaments this year and will play only one more before the U.S. Open. "I'm not too worried. I'd just like to take the titles."
Williams earned $125,000 and a car.
Pilot Pen
NEW HAVEN
8/25
Justine Henin had been down this road before with Venus Williams.
Henin, the No. 6 player in the world, evened her match at one set apiece in Friday afternoon's quarterfinal match at the Pilot Pen. She became the first player in three years to win a set off Williams, the two-time defending champion, at the Connecticut Tennis Center.
But just like the Wimbledon final last month, Henin, the No. 5 seed, couldn't finish the deal. Williams, No. 4 in the world, bounced back to win 6-3, 5-7, 6-2 in 2 hours, 5 minutes.
"At the end, Venus was better than me," Henin, 19, said. "I had my chances to win the match. It's a little bit the experience. At Wimbledon, she was a lot better, and today, I was closer to her."
Despite dropping the second set, Williams extended her Pilot Pen winning streak to 10. She beat Henin 6-1, 3-6, 6-0 for her second consecutive Wimbledon title in July.
Williams broke Henin in the seventh game of the second set to go up 4-3. She then held at love on her own serve and held a match point against Henin.
But that's where the Belgian started to turn the match around. She fought off the match point to hold her serve, then returned the favor, breaking Williams at love. Williams was serving on the north end of the court, where the sun played a factor.
"At 5-4 (in the second set) I was serving into the sun, which was difficult," Williams said. "But she just played well. I made a lot of errors, so that never makes it too hard for your opponent to play even better, to feel better."
Henin easily held serve in the 11th game. She had set point when her return clipped the net cord and Williams hit the volley into the net. Williams then made another error to give Henin the set.
"At the end of the second set and the beginning of the third, I served well," Henin said. "You always feel the pressure in the important points of the match, and sometimes you go down."
Henin did. She failed to convert a break point in the second game of the final set. Then, in the fifth game, Henin was clearly frustrated by a linesman's call that she thought was out. Williams won the next three points to convert the break, going ahead 3-2.
"At this level, I think it's bad mistakes for this kind of match," Henin said.
"But you know, at the end, Venus was better than me. And after that, I think mentally I was a little bit down."
Said Williams: "I stopped missing as many shots. I just tried to string together a few good points and stop making errors for three points in a row. ... I wasn't too happy with the way I played because I feel can play a lot better. But in a way it's good for me to have a match like this so that way I at least get more of a rhythm."
Another linesman corrected himself on a call in the sixth game, but it still set Henin off. But she said later that the two calls only contributed to her downfall and was not the reason she lost.
"I think that they made mistakes against Venus maybe at the beginning of the match," Henin said. "So, you know, it's the same for everybody, and it's not the big points of the match."
So how will Henin perform better against Williams the next time around? She feels she needs to play the bigger points better, which she said comes with experience.
"I think on the important points, she (Williams) didn't make the big mistakes I was waiting for," Henin said. "I think she knows which points are very important in the match. That was the difference."
Venus Vexes Jennifer
by Matthew Cronin
Friday, September 7, 2001
Shattering Jennifer Capriati's dream of reaching her first US Open final and attaining the No. 1 ranking, Venus Williams overpowered Capriati 6-4, 6-2 Friday to set up a Williams family prime time final.
In crushing Capriati, Venus was the much smarter, more athletic and consistent player on the day, frequently locking Jennifer up in backhand crosscourt rallies that played to her advantage, running down numerous Capriati forehand blasts and serving herself out of tight spots. For her part, Capriati was never able to establish control of the court with her forehand, nor deliver the necessary down-the-line backhand winners that Williams dared her to attempt.
Venus began the match extremely slowly, falling behind 4-1. But the defending U.S. Open champ then bore down, tightened up her game and began to gain control over her sometimes errant forehand. She ran off seven straight games to 2-0 in the second set and never looked back.
"I just didn't feel like it was my day to leave the tournament," said Venus, who smacked 21 winners and 46 unforced errors. "A lot times you can feel your demise. Today, I just didn't feel it."
It was a somewhat dismal performance from reigning Australian Open and Roland Garros titlist Capriati, who managed just four winners while committing 34 unforced errors. If she had won the contest, Capriati would have attained the No. 1 ranking for the first time in her career. But Venus, who now owns a 4-0 record against the 25-year-old, raised the level of her game whenever she had to while Capriati never found a way to hit through her fleeter foe.
Capriati, who hadn't lost a set coming into the match, said she was fatigued.
"I ran out of gas a little bit," she said. "It's the first match where I had to run down a lot of of balls and work every point so much. The wind on one side was hard to get the ball over the net and other side I didn't want to hit the fence. Fighting through that took its toll. She played great. She was making so many unbelievable gets."
For the first time in history, two African-Americans will meet in the US Open final. And for the first time since 1884 when Maud Watson defeated her sister, Lilian, 6-8, 6-3, 6-3, for the first Wimbledon women's championship, two sisters will face off.
While none of their four prior contests have been played at a particularly high level, Venus and Serena promised to attempt new heights on Saturday.
"I'm still trying to take the title home," Venus said. "I know she won't be giving up anything tomorrow, too. It's been two years since she won here and one for me....A lot of matches we've played haven't been considered championship, heroic matches. Tomorrow will be different, especially since I'll be returning a serve similar to mine and I haven't had to do that in quite a while."
Serena added that it won't be tougher on her emotionally to win the title, knowing that's it's her sibling and best friend across the net. However, the 19-year-old Serena has never taken out Venus in a match of major importance.
"For me, it doesn't matter. Playing Venus in the final makes it all the sweeter," said Serena, the '99 U.S. Open champ. "It's good for us, it's good for our family, it's great for television. It's all we could ask for, both of us in the final, playing for the U.S. Open. Emotionally it doesn't matter who I play, because in the end we're going to have to compete anyway....If you noticed, the winner gets $850,000. So I won't have any problem going out there to win."
Venus Defends Her Crown
by Matthew Cronin
Saturday, September 8, 2001
Shoving aside any speculation as to who is the best player in her family, Venus Williams stepped on little sister Serena 6-2, 6-4 and successfully defended her US Open title Saturday night.
"This is our first Grand Slam final together and really that's the way we like it to be," Venus said. "Because then both of us win in a way."
In front of a packed house of celebrities and tennis aficionados, Venus played a cool-headed, efficient match, patiently waiting for Serena to make errors and crack under the strain of trying to upend her beloved older sister in a Grand Slam final.
"It could be I'm really used to playing these grand Slam finals now," said the 21-year-old Venus, who won her fourth Grand Slam title. "This is my fifth Grand Slam final. So that played a factor."
In perhaps the most spectacular US Open final opening ceremony to date, dozens of stars from Mary Tyler Moore to pop star Brandy turned out to hear Diana Ross sing Good Bless America and watch the first ever US Open final contested between two sisters.
"I wouldn't have missed it if I knew something historical was going to happen," Serena said. "It was really exciting because some of the guys are really superstars. I didn't really think that they would want to watch little me play tennis. But I guess we are really exciting and I'm flattered."
But after sprinting around in the court in the first four games of the first set, Serena began to struggle with the wind and with Venus' well places serves and groundstrokes.
Only for a brief period in the second set was Venus forced to bring out her "A" game, as Serena couldn't find the range on her normally reliable forehand and didn't charge the net with the same verve that she showed in taking out Justine Henin, Lindsay Davenport and Martina Hingis.
"It was a bit tough out there, " said Serena, who clanked 36 unforced errors to only 19 for her sister. "I was fighting the wind, fighting myself because I was making too many errors, and I was fighting Venus. There were too many fights going on. I should have reduced it a bit."
Venus served with variety and power, struck her groundstrokes deep and kept Serena off balance by consistently changing the depth and the pace of her groundstrokes. Venus said that for a while, she actually felt pity for her sister's poor play.
"It was like I was sitting in the stands and Serena was playing someone else and I was saying, "C'mon Serena, just do this or that.' When I'd find myself doing that, I'd lose a couple points. Then I wasn't sorry anymore."
Serena admitted that Venus played the more intelligent contest.
"I understand the plays better than Serena does," said Venus, who didn't drop a set during the tournament. "I put the ball where I want or try to draw an error."
Serena, the 1999 U.S. Open champion, didn't break down in sorrowful tears after the loss, like she did after suffering defeats in the other three Grand Slams this year.
"In the past I would have been disapointed, but I've grown as a competitor more than anything," the 19-year-old Serena said. "I've realized to take them as they come. I didn't take my chances. I didn't get the moment. So it's all for Venus now."
Venus beamed after the victory, but did not engage in a wild celebration dance. Both sisters called it a victory for the family, but there would be no gloating.
"I don't feel like exactly that I won," Venus said. "If I was playing a different opponent in the final I would be a lot more joyful, but I'm happy I won the U.S. Open again. There's nothing like winning a Grand Slam. Serena and I, we both know when we go out there that it's just going to be two competitors competing against each other. When you walk out on the court, if you're not a competitor, you just got to go home."
Venus def. Little Sis To Claim Her Second Straight US Open Title
By: Jefferey Sanders
September 8, 2001
Congratulations to Venus Williams, defending US Open Champion, 2001. In front of a packed 23,000+ Arthur Ashe Stadium, Venus Williams defeated little sis, Serena, 6-2 6-4 in 69 minutes.
The key to tonights match, was Venus' composure. Venus played awesome tennis, and as usual, stayed pretty calm throughout the match. Serena, however, never seemed to adjust to the sister vs. sister situation, and committed a total of 35 unforced errors.
In the beginning, it seemed as though this match could definetly go the distance. Venus was serving well, Serena was serving well, and both players were slugging balls left and right, proving that they may be center-stage, but in no way was it rehearsed, and that both players definitely had plans of claiming their second US Open title.
Things changed, however, when Venus broke Serena at 2-2, to go up 3-2. From there on out, it seemed that Serena's confidence had went down considerably, and her nerves remained shaky. Venus, however, continued the set in routine fashion, gaining more confidence with every shot, and showing extreme composure and maturity. Venus broke Serena's serve throughout the rest of the first set, and went on to take the set at 6-2.
In the second set, Venus seemed to lose a little of her momentum. Both players were having problems, and neither player could hold serve. When it came to returns, both players were returning extremely well. Considering that Serena's average 1st serve was 98mph, and Venus' 103mph, it's hard to believe that there was only one ace in the entire match. However, as was the case in the first set, Serena just couldn't seem to find her top game, continually aiming and missing line shots. Sometimes Serena would look up at her family box with emotions, like, what should she do? Mother Oracene was actually cheering for Serena at this point. "I was trying to give her a little edge,'' Oracene Williams said of Serena Williams. "I was hoping Serena would win the second set for a little competition. I was just trying to encourage Serena to pick it up just a little. Serena would have Venus on the ropes and let up a little."
Even though Mother Oracene continued to try and encourage Serena, it didn't seem to help. Big Sis was just playing exceptional tennis, showing why she deserves to be the #1 player. ``Venus just played beautifully,'' Oracene Williams said of the first women's final held at night. "She's a night person. She was awake.'' Serena, however, ``did not play her best. I think she wasn't as focused. It's a sibling thing, and it always has been.'' Apparently Mother Williams is right! Research shows that out of 9 singles matches played by sisters in tennis history, the big sister has won all of them!
So, all, what a great US Open this year has been, eh? Could it have possibly been any better? It would be nice to see Serena and Venus step up, be strong, and play their absolute best tennis against one another, but more than likely that's not going to happen. Both players have extreme amount of respect for one another, and I would think it has to be very difficult. Not only are they playing one another, but there is also a lot of publicity, roomers, hype and a lot of other things that have gone on, leading up to tonight's final, and that has to make things very difficult for our girls. To me, the cool thing is that they were able to prove to the world that they are the true Queens of tennis.And as if these two haven't already made enough history, never, since the beginning of the Open tennis era, has sisters played one another in a Grand Slam final, until tonight, and that is something the sister's should be extremely proud of.
So, now, the dream of a Williams vs. Williams has become a reality. Now, the next step is becoming #1 and #2 in the world. This can definetly happen, as long as both commit to playing more tournaments the rest of this year and next, and guess what? They have! Both sisters have said that they are going to take time off school and focus more on playing more tournaments.
Forget the rankings, Venus is No. 1
By Greg Garber
ESPN.com
9/9
"I'm your Venus. I'm your fire."
-- Venus, by Shocking Blue, 1970
NEW YORK -- Women's tennis has never been deeper.
Martina Hingis has been No. 1 for four years now. Jennifer Capriati won the first two Grand Slam tournaments of the season. Lindsay Davenport has won three Slams herself. Monica Seles and Serena Williams also know the feeling of holding a major trophy aloft. The two young Belgians, Kim Clijsters and Justine Henin, suddenly are ranked No. 5 and No. 6 in the world.
One woman, however, has beaten them all this year. One woman stands, indisputably, at the top of the tennis ladder: Venus Williams.
The WTA rankings insist that Venus is the No. 4 player in the world. Forget the rankings -- they are based largely on quantity, not quality of play. After brushing aside her sister Serena in straight sets in Saturday night's oddly anticlimactic U.S. Open final, Venus has now won four of the past six Grand Slam singles titles. Moreover, she has defended her Wimbledon and U.S. Open titles -- the two that matter most.
Is she a cut above the rest of the field?
"Well, winning four out of the last six, I guess you could say she is," Serena said. "I don't know. I think she's beaten everyone."
Venus is 2-0 against Serena this year and 5-2 overall. Hingis? Venus avenged an Australian Open semifinal loss with a straight-sets victory in the Ericsson Open semis. Capriati? She's never beaten Venus, including three losses this year alone. Davenport, too, is 0-3 against Venus this year.
Venus has won 15 consecutive matches and three tournaments, giving her six titles and a record of 46-5.
"I guess I've had the most amount of titles," Venus said. "But for me, I've almost done my personal best. I would have loved to have won some more Grand Slams, but that wasn't the case. Someone else was more deserving of the first two. So it wasn't me."
It was Capriati, whose comeback is one of the great stories in sports. Williams was listless in a 6-1, 6-1 loss to Hingis in the Australian semis, but Capriati prevailed in the final. Venus beat them both at the Ericsson Open.
Venus was stunned in the first round of the French Open by Barbara Schett and Capriati, who beat Hingis in the semifinals and Clijsters in the final, was the champion again.
Historically, Venus has been a slow starter. Last year she missed the first four months of the 2000 season with tendinitis in both wrists, but she put together a 35-match winning streak that encompassed nearly four months and six titles, including the Olympic gold medal.
She's on that kind of roll again. After losing to Schett, Williams has won 23 of 24 matches. She's played only five more sets than the minimum over that time.
While Capriati is this year's sentimental favorite for Player of the Year, she has had three chances to beat Venus this year and failed in each increasingly futile attempt.
Capriati held an amazing eight match points before losing in the Ericsson final. In the New Haven semifinals the week before the U.S. Open, Venus beat her in straight sets. The second set came down to a tiebreaker, but the score at crunch time was a devastating 7-1. In the U.S. Open semis, Venus dispatched Capriati with ease, 6-4, 6-2, giving her six of seven sets against Capriati.
Not only does Venus have prodigious physical gifts -- she hits the ball harder and covers more ground than anyone in the woman's game -- but at 21 she has developed a court savvy that has put her over the top.
Listen to Serena: "I think Venus actually has taken a lot of power off her ball, and she's actually making less mistakes, using more tactics in her game. So power-wise, I think she's definitely taken a lot off. She tried something different this whole tournament, and I think it worked."
Much has been made of Venus' edge in mental toughness over her younger sister. The irony is that this relatively new attitude came from Serena herself.
"This was like in '98 in Sydney," Venus remembered. "Serena was playing a top player, was down 1-6, love-five. She was fighting like there was no tomorrow, like it was her last day on Earth. After that, I reconsidered. I wasn't such a fighter.
"After that, I became a fighter, too. That's what I took from her game."
It was Serena who supplied her sister's ultimate motivation to win a Grand Slam, as well. Venus was in the stands with her parents, Richard and Oracene, when Serena won the family's first major singles title, the 1999 U.S. Open. Oracene has called it a wake-up call for Venus.
Since then, the older sister has won four Slams, the last one over the younger sister.
Now, Venus says, she is going to get serious. Last year, she played only 45 matches in an injury plagued season. This year's she's already played 51. Next year?
"Next year, I believe, I'd like to play more in the beginning of the year, maybe less at the end. So I'm going to look at the calendar and see what suits me best."
How about the Australian Open? Perhaps the French Open? The No. 1 ranking?
"I'd like to, of course, improve my game," she said.
Of course.
Venus enters Thalgo Tournament
November 21, 2001
GOLD COAST, Qld
Two-time Wimbledon and US Open champion Venus Williams and 2001 Wimbledon finalist and World No.7, Justine Henin (BEL), will headline a top-class international field at the 2002 Thalgo Australian Women's Hardcourts on the Gold Coast, Tournament Director Liz Smylie announced today.
"Some of the greatest players in the women's game today will be coming to the Gold Coast to begin their 2002 campaigns," Smylie said. "This year, Williams is undoubtedly one of the strongest players on the circuit with Henin following close behind. Combined with a host of other top players, next year's tournament is going to be a fantastic event, which is not to be missed."
In what is shaping up to be one of the most evenly matched line-ups in the tournament's history, the field also includes Frenchwoman Sandrine Testud [ranked No.11], American Meghann Shaughnessy [ranked No.12], last year's Thalgo Australian Women's Hardcourts finalist, Italy's Silvia Farina Elia [14], rising Czech star, Daja Bedanova [28], and Russian hotshot, Elena Likhovtseva