2003

May

Venus Williams Withdraws from MasterCard German Open

BERLIN, Germany – World No. 3 Venus Williams has today withdrawn from the Mastercard German Open (May 5-11), where she was seeded second behind Belgium’s Kim Clijsters, due to a left abdominal strain.

Williams, was forced to retire during the J & S Cup final in Warsaw, Poland, trailing No. 2 seed Amelie Mauresmo 67(6), 60, 30. Having saved two set points in the first set tiebreak, the world No. 3 proceeded to lose the next nine games in a row.

“I started to feel it in the first set,” said Williams after the final. “At first I thought it was a stomach-ache and I didn’t want to believe it was an injury. But then it got progressively worse and really affected me on my serve. I talked to the trainer at the end of the second set but unfortunately wasn’t able to finish the third set.”

“Afterwards I thought about Berlin and made the difficult decision to pull out of there. I’m very disappointed as I’ve always enjoyed playing in Germany and the fans are always very knowledgeable and appreciative of tennis there. My plan right now is to take each day at a time, have some rest and hopefully be fully fit again as soon as possible.”

Williams was due to make her second appearance at the German Open, having fallen in the third round in 2001 to then-No. 18 ranked Justine Henin-Hardenne.

Her withdrawal moves a lucky loser into the main draw, and means that the following six seeding changes occur to the main draw, due to the original seeding groups they were drawn in and because the withdrawal occurred after the Sunday 4pm deadline:

Williams withdraws from final; Mauresmo wins J&S Cup

.c The Associated Press

WARSAW, Poland (AP) - Venus Williams retired in the final of the J&S Cup on Sunday because of a pulled stomach muscle, giving Amelie Mauresmo the title.

Mauresmo, who ended a six-match losing streak to Williams, was leading 6-7 (6-8), 6-0, 3-0 when the match ended.

Williams looked tentative at the outset, but won the first set on a tiebreaker. After losing six straight games in the second set, Williams left the court for treatment of the injury.

The second-seeded Mauresmo took a 3-0 lead in the third set. Williams, who appeared to be in great discomfort, hit her 13th double fault to fall behind 30-40 in the next game and decided to retire.

The match was close in the first set with Williams taking leads of 2-0 and 4-2.

Mauresmo broke serve three times, the third to take a 6-5 lead. She failed to serve out for the set, and wasted to set points at 6-4 in the tiebreaker.

Williams fell behind 2-0 in the second set, and failed to take advantage of four break points in the next game. She double faulted in 10 of her 11 service games.

Venus Williams advances to final of J&S Cup

5/03

WARSAW, Poland (AP) - Venus Williams beat unseeded Denisa Chladkova of the Czech Republic 6-3, 7-6 (5) Saturday to advance to the final of the J&S Cup.

The top-seeded Williams lost her opening service game, but used her powerful forehand to build a 4-1 advantage.

Chladkova broke serve in the seventh game, but Williams immediately broke back and served out for the set.

In the second set, Chladkova broke serve to take a 3-1 lead. Williams countered by breaking Chladkova in the next game. Williams broke serve to take a 5-4 lead, but was unable to serve out for the match.

Chladkova took an early lead in the tiebreaker and saved one match point before Williams sealed the win.

``She played well and definitely got a lot of balls back,'' Williams said. ``I was sometimes thinking too much about the shot instead of just playing the shot. And I was a little too tentative on my volleys. Instead of hitting the ball, I was trying to massage it.''

She meets Amelie Mauresmo of France in Sundays's final.

05/02

Venus wobbles into Warsaw Cup semi-finals

By Adrian Krajewski

WARSAW, May 2 (Reuters) - Top seed Venus Williams overcame a poor start to beat Italy's Francesca Schiavone 2-6 6-3 6-3 and reach the semi-finals of the $700,000 Warsaw Cup on Friday.

France's second seed Amelie Mauresmo also lost the first set but held her nerve to finally oust seventh seeded Anna Pistolesi of Israel 3-6 6-4 6-3 in a classic clay court battle.

Mauresmo will meet Jelena Dokic in a semi-final after the fourth seeded Yugoslav topped Magui Serna of Spain 7-5 6-2. Williams, set to regain her number two world ranking from Kim Clijsters next week, had to dig deep before getting her game on track midway through the second set.

Schiavone was a set up and leading 3-0 in the second before the American rattled off eight straight games.

"I really did not want to go home so early. She was trying to take the game to me and my errors contributed to the score," said Williams.

"It was also a matter of pride, I had to get back in the game. At 0-3 (in the second set) I started to pick up on her patterns, earlier she was wrong-footing me."

Belgium's Clijsters, who is not competing this week, jumped past Venus in the world rankings in mid-April, temporarily breaking apart a Williams' family 1-2 with top ranked sibling Serena. Mauresmo, the world number seven, adjusted her strategy after losing the first set to put more pressure on Pistolesi, who had the best of long baseline exchanges early in the match.

"After the first set I didn't have much choice and changed my tactics, but it was very hard to play fast as these courts are very slow," Mauresmo said after the 2-1/2 hour battle.

"It was a very tight game and I am very glad to have come through. Such matches give you confidence ahead of Roland Garros," she said about the French Open which starts May 26. Dokic, 20, also started slowly against Serna but improved as the match wore on, winning four games in a row to take the first set 7-5 and then comfortably winning the second 6-2.

"I got better as the match went on. I could have lost it, especially the first set," said Dokic after advancing to her first WTA tour semi-final this year.

In the other semi, Venus will face Denisa Chladkova after the Czech beat Colombia's Fabiola Zuluaga 7-5 7-5.

Venus Williams moves into quarterfinals at J&S Cup tennis

5/1

WARSAW, Poland (Ticker) - Swirling winds could not blow Venus Williams off course at the J&S Cup.

The top-seeded Williams advanced to the quarterfinals with a 6-2, 6-3 victory over Czech qualifier Zuzana Ondraskova at the $700,000 claycourt event.

Ranked third in a world, Williams had to contend with a swirling wind and dust lifting off the newly laid red clay surface of the 3,000-seat center court.

The 118th-ranked Ondraskova forced Williams back to the baseline with beautifully precise and well-timed shots, rarely allowing her opponent to settle into any kind of rhythm.

Serving at speeds up to 108 miles per hour, Williams took her points where she could and was pleased with her win.

"That was a really good match," she said. "It was quite windy, so the balls were going this way and that way and I was always adjusting. She stayed concentrated, didn't get frustrated and fought to the very end."

Williams was playing her first match on the dirt this season.

"I'm feeling good on clay," she said. "I don't think it limits my game. I just have to realize that if I'm approaching the net I have to hit deep as the ball travels slower. It doesn't bother me.

"The center court here is a little damp, so I couldn't slide much without turning my ankles. I don't much like sliding anyway as you can get out of position. I prefer just to get to the ball in time."

The 22-year-old American, who has lost the last four Grand Slam finals to younger sister Serena, is motivated to return to top form.

"My aim for this year is to develop my technique," Williams said. "Last year it was non-existent and it hurt me at important times. My aim is just to play and not have hopes and dreams that something will happen, but just to make it happen."

Williams' quarterfinal foe Friday will be Italy's Francesca Schiavone, who thrashed sixth seed Eleni Daniilidou of Greece, 6-1, 6-1.

Earlier Thursday, second seed Amelie Mauresmo scraped through her second-round match, beating Czech lucky loser Renata Voracova, 2-6, 6-2, 6-0, in one hour, 50 minutes.

Having come through the qualifying tournament, this was Voracova's fifth match since last Saturday. She was more familiar with her surroundings than her opponent, who received a bye into the second round.

"It was a tough start for me. I had a lot of trouble getting used to the conditions, the difficult wind and the slow court," Mauresmo said. "I was well warmed up, but it took me time to adjust. Later on in the match, I managed to get into my rhythm and it started to go my way."

But while Voracova battled, the experience of Mauresmo helped her reach her fourth quarterfinal of the season.

"She played very aggressively at the beginning," Mauresmo said. "I've never played her before, so I didn't know what to expect. I had to adjust my game to her. She played very well, very accurately, coming forward a lot and taking her chances."

Mauresmo will meet seventh seed Anna Pistolesi of Israel on Friday.

Colombia's Fabiola Zuluaga notched her biggest win in nearly three years with a 6-2, 6-4 upset of third seed Daniela Hantuchova of Slovakia.

Zuluaga avenged a three-set loss to Hantuchova in the first round of the Australian Open. Her biggest career win came en route to the semifinals of the Italian Open three years ago, when she defeated No. 6 Nathalie Tauziat.

The 24-year-old from Bogota will square off against Czech Denisa Chladkova in the quarterfinals. Chladkova defeated Spanish qualifier Arantxa Parra, 6-1, 7-5, Magui Serna extended her winning streak to 14 matches by rallying past Czech qualifier Sandra Kleinova, 4-6, 6-1, 6-2.

Serna, a 24-year-old from Las Palmas, won consecutive titles at Estoril and Budapest before guiding Spain to victory over Australia in the first round of the Fed Cup World Group last weekend. However, she is 0-4 lifetime against her quarterfinal foe, fourth seed Jelena Dokic of Yugoslavia.

The winner's check for this Tier II event is $103,500.

April

By Wojciech Moskwa

WARSAW, April 29 (Reuters) - Venus Williams, switching to the clay courts of Europe to prepare for next month's French Open, hopes to find the right balance between power and patience to wrestle the number one spot from younger sister Serena.

"I think this year I'll be a little better. Last year it was difficult, every time I practised I was tired," Williams told reporters on Tuesday before the Warsaw Cup tournament.

"Serena had motivation because she had a couple of years, in 2000 and 2001, when she didn't do really well. (Last year) I became tired and she became motivated so we flip-flopped."

Venus lost to Serena in the final of three of the season's four Grand Slams.

"Every time I played her, she was just better and I was not ready for all of it. She hits with such power and hits the ball so early that unless you faced it, it's hard to explain," Venus said.

Asked what she needed to bring her game to another level, Venus said: "A combination of power and patience."

Venus's world ranking has dropped to three behind Belgium's Kim Clijsters largely because of her light schedule. France's Amelie Mauresmo, Slovak Daniela Hantuchova and Yugoslavian Jelena Dokic are also playing in the $700,000 Warsaw Open.

"Now I want to play slow clay courts, enjoy the rhythm," Venus said. She will play one more warm-up in Europe before resting in the United States ahead of Roland Garros.

The hard-hitting American said she was already looking beyond the slow red clay of Warsaw and Paris to playing on the grass of Wimbledon, where she lifted the winner's trophy in 2000 and 2001.

"I love Wimbledon so much. It's almost unfair for both Serena and me, just serve, serve, serve. It's so wonderful on the fast grass - hit with reckless abandon and play hard," Venus said of the surface which favours power players.

But British fans will not catch a glimpse of Venus before Wimbledon as she will again skip the grasscourt events leading up to the London leg of the Grand Slam.

"No offense, but it rains so much," she said.

J&S Cup Warsaw, Poland

29.04.2003 14:00

From 9 o'clock Venus was training on Warszawianka courts.

Her practice was finished earlier than it was planned too early due to her practice partner's injury. Pawel Ostrowski, tennis coach from "Tie-break" tennis school stepped on ball and twisted his ancle. That's how Ostrowski became first Venus' victim on J&S Cup 2003.

After the practice, at 12.00 o'clock press conference started in Hyatt hotel. Biggest polish media representatives were invited, details in tomorrow newspapers, tv and radio relations.

Williams sisters sweep Czechs in Fed Cup

LOWELL, Mass. (AP) - The Williams sisters were a nation unto themselves.

They beat all five opponents they faced from the Czech Republic without dropping a set, sending the United States into the quarterfinals of the Fed Cup.

``My serve was cooking a little more,'' top-ranked Serena Williams said after the clinching victory. ``It's a wonderful experience. I really love it. Go USA.''

The United States took a 2-0 lead into Sunday, and Williams needed just 50 minutes to beat Klara Koukalova 6-2, 6-2 and put the Americans into the next round in July, when they will face Italy.

She gave the United States an unbeatable lead in the best-of-five competition. Venus Williams defeated Iveta Benesova 6-3, 6-2 in the last singles, with doubles to follow.

The sisters completed the 5-0 weekend sweep with a 6-0, 6-1 doubles victory in 44 minutes, beating Daja Bedanova and Eva Birnerova.

The sisters joined teammates Meghann Shaughnessy and Alexandra Stevenson in parading the American flag around the Tsongas Arena court after the clinching match.

The Czechs, a match away from elimination, made a last-minute lineup change Sunday against Serena Williams. Koukalova took the court instead of Bedanova, who lost to Venus in 48 minutes Saturday.

``Actually, Venus said she expected that,'' Serena Williams said. ``It doesn't matter.''

A day earlier, Serena Williams attributed her slow start to another surprise - she hadn't realized Benesova was left-handed. She won 7-5, 6-1.

The outcome was in stark contrast to last year. U.S. captain Billie Jean King kicked Jennifer Capriati off the team last year for practice violations. That resulted in the team forfeiting the first match against Austria, which won 3-2 in Charlotte, N.C.

``I think the biggest difference definitely is you see that teamwork and chemistry works,'' U.S. assistant coach Zina Garrison said. ``The enthusiasm has been great.''

Serena Williams recorded nine aces against Koukalova and was successful on 10 of 13 net approaches.

``I still feel a little rusty on the edges,'' she said. ``My commitment to go to the net was what I've been looking for in the past year or so, but I would still like to make more of a commitment.''

King calls Serena ``the complete package ... but can you imagine if she starts going to the net more often, too? It can only get better.''

Koukalova, ranked No. 73, got word from Czech captain Petra Langrova on Saturday that she would replace Bedanova.

``Serena knows Daja very well, so they change it for surprise,'' Koukalova said. ``She's first in the world, so it's hard to play with her.

The United States has won the Fed Cup a record 17 times and is the favorite this year. The final is in November.

The Williams sisters, who have won six of the past seven singles Grand Slams, had last played in the Fed Cup in the 1999 final, leading the team to the title over Russia.

The U.S. team beat Spain for the 2000 Fed Cup crown but skipped the 2001 final in Madrid because of security concerns after the Sept. 11 attacks. Slovakia defeated Spain to win the Cup last year.

In other World Group matches, it was: Italy 3, Sweden 2; Slovakia 3, Germany 2; Russia 4, Croatia 1; Spain 3, Australia 2; Belgium 5, Austria 0; France 5, Colombia 0; and Slovenia 3, Argentina 2.

The other quarterfinal pairings are: Russia-Slovenia, Spain-France and Belgium-Slovakia.

Flavia Pennetta and Roberta Vinci won the deciding doubles match, allowing Italy to advance in Linkoping, Sweden.

Daniela Hantuchova overcame a 24-hour rain delay and won twice to carry defending champion Slovakia in Ettenheim, Germany.

Anastasia Myskina defeated former French Open champion Iva Majoli 6-2, 7-5 in Moscow to give Russia an unbeatable lead.

Conchita Martinez routed Nicole Pratt 6-0, 6-2 and Magui Serna defeated Alicia Molik 6-4, 6-1 to power the Spaniards in Tarragona, Spain.

Kim Clijsters downed Patricia Wartusch 6-2, 6-2, leading the Belgian team past Austria in Bree, Belgium.

Amelie Mauresmo sent the French into the next round, stopping Colombia's Fabiola Zuluaga 6-4, 6-4 in Andrezieux-Boutheon, France.

Slovenia became the first team to reach the quarters, wrapping up its victory in Pilar, Argentina, on Saturday.

Williams sisters give U.S. 2-0 lead over Czechs in Fed Cup

LOWELL, Massachusetts (Ticker) - Venus and sister Serena Williams made quick work Saturday in their singles matches as the United States built a commanding lead over the Czech Republic in their first-round Fed Cup tie.

Venus Williams needed just 48 minutes to crush Daja Bedanova, 6-1, 6-0, before Serena rolled to a 7-5, 6-1 triumph over Iveta Benesova.

"Even though the score line looked easy, she played really well," Venus Williams said. "I had to hit winners, I had to push her out of the way."

She played amazing tennis," Bedanova admitted. "I played some good tennis. It's really hard to compete against those players. She was just better and better every time, every single game."

The Williams sisters have combined to win six of the last seven Grand Slams titles. They last played in the Fed Cup in 1999, helping the U.S. win the championship against Russia.

"I was very happy because I've been working very hard in practice with Billie (Jean King) and Zina (Garisson)," Venus Williams added. "I've been working on a lot of things. It's paid off in the match."

The American team, which last year was upset in the first round by Austria, is the favorite to win their 18th Fed Cup title.

On Sunday, the Williams duo will switch opponents in singles and play doubles against Eva Birnerova and Klara Koukalova. Doubles can be changed up to 15 minutes prior to the contest.

The U.S. team also includes Meghann Shaughnessy and Alexandra Stevenson.

Slovenia was the first team to qualify for the quarterfinals after winning three of four matches against Argentina. The tie began Friday due to Argentina's presidential election on Sunday.

In other World Group matches, Belgium leads Austria, 2-0; France is up 2-0 over Colombia; Russia has a 2-0 advantage over Croatia; Spain and Australia are tied, 1-1; Sweden and Italy are knotted at 1-1; and Germany leads Slovakia, 1-0.

The singles match between Germany's Marlene Weingartner and Daniela Hantuchova was suspended due to rain and high winds.

Venus gives U.S. 1-0 Fed Cup lead

LOWELL, Massachusetts, April 26 (Reuters) - American Venus Williams overwhelmed the Czech Republic's Daja Bedanova 6-1 6-0 to give the United States a 1-0 lead in the first round of Fed Cup on Saturday.

Playing her first match in five weeks, Williams began the match with an ace and never looked back as she won the majority of hard hitting rallies from inside the baseline.

Dictating play on the fast court at the sold out Tsongas Arena, the four-times grand slam champion broke Bedanova to 3-1 when the Czech double faulted.

Although Bedanova tried to put pressure on Williams by attacking the net behind her first serve, the American was rarely troubled and passed her beautifully on numerous occasions.

Williams broke Bedanova again to 5-1 with a huge crosscourt forehand winner and held to win the set in the next game when Bedanova knocked a forehand long.

After Bedanova double faulted to give the first game of the second set away, the 20-year angrily threw her racket to the ground.

The Czech held three break points in the next game, but 22-year-old Williams easily fought them off, including a slam dunk overhead in the fashion of her one-time hero, Pete Sampras.

The world number three broke Bedanova to lead 3-0 with a gorgeous backhand passing shot down the line and broke her again to 5-0 with a backhand winner.

Williams wrapped up the match when Bedanova hit a backhand long.

Williams finished the contest with 29 winners to only three from her opponent, including seven aces.

Top ranked Serena Williams was scheduled to play Czech Iveta Benesova in the second match.

4/14

Venus steps in for Serena

BERLIN - Venus Williams will fill in for her younger sister Serena at next month's WTA Berlin Open, organisers announced today.

World number 1 Serena announced she was pulling out of the event so as to recharge her batteries in time for the French Open and Wimbledon.

Her decision was made after suffering her first defeat of the season in Sunday's Charleston Open final which she lost in straight sets to Belgian Justine Henin-Hardenne.

Berlin were evidently thrilled to have found such a high profile replacement.

"We're delighted that Venus can make it. She too plays very seductive tennis and in terms of performances she's almost on a par with her sister," said event spokesman Eberhard Wensky.

Serena, explaining her absence, said she wanted to take a week off to prepare herself "mentally and physically" for the summer's key tournaments in Paris and London.

March

03/30

LIGHTER SIDE

Venus Williams adds delicate touch to ferocious power

By HEATHER GRAULICH

Cox News Service

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. -- When the American Red Cross Designers' Show House opens Friday, visitors will be able to walk onto the west terrace and gaze upon a glamorous stone pedestal table with beveled glass top, an antique chandelier and champagne flutes etched with a dainty floral pattern.

The woman responsible for this elegant, ladies-who-lunch look?

None other than Venus Williams.

Yes, that Venus. The one with the sculpted biceps and the handshake like a vise. The one who routinely blisters opponents with her 100-plus-mph serves. The No. 2 women's tennis player in the world, who, in addition to selecting plump pillows for the show-house terrace, also played -- and suffered an unusual early-round elimination -- this week in the Nasdaq-100 tournament in Key Biscayne.

Last November, Williams -- all of 22 years old -- decided that on top of maintaining a world-class tennis career, she wanted to open her own interior design firm. Never mind that she doesn't have an interior design license or formal design schooling (though she's working on both). In the Williams family, as the world has come to understand, you don't say "What if." You say, "What next?"

"Sometimes it's scary," she says, "But I'm always really positive, so I always believe I'm going to make it."

It was with that level of confidence that Williams hung out a shingle on Prosperity Farms Road in Palm Beach Gardens for V Starr Interiors (a play on her full name, Venus Ebone Starr Williams); hired licensed interior designer Bonnie Nathan to run the office and work with her on projects; and began taking clients.

She's only had a couple, but that's by her choice. She says she's turned down jobs so she can grow the firm slowly, which allows her to select china patterns and kitchen tile while keeping a chokehold on women's tennis.

"It's challenging," says Williams, looking a little tired on a recent afternoon just before the start of the Nasdaq tournament. "In the mornings I practice, and then I come in (to the office) in the afternoons, and if I have time off, then I come in all day. Or I sleep a little late and then come in -- spoil myself a little bit."

And at this point, Williams laughs. It's a happy, genuine laugh that regularly punctuates her conversation. She laughs about sleep ("I like to sleep, and I love to dream"). She laughs about making all her friends and family use her decorating services ("Of course, nowadays, their projects come last because the clients come first"). And she laughs at those who've speculated that opening the design firm signals her imminent retirement from tennis.

"I can't give up my good job," she says. "I like it. I enjoy not just winning my matches, but not giving up a game. If I give up a game, I can't wait to play the person the next time because I just don't want to let them get another. Not everybody's able to make it to the top level, and I'm not going to take it for granted."

But clearly, Williams is serious about V Starr, too. The company is in the process of hiring more designers and plans to move into a bigger office in Jupiter at the end of May. ("It's exciting," says Venus. "I had a dream about it.")

Nathan is excited, too. The native of Utica, N.Y., had her own interior design firm in Syracuse for 25 years before moving to Florida 10 years ago. While she's helped her young boss learn some of the technical aspects of interior design, Nathan says Williams has taught her a lot about staying cool under pressure.

"I've learned to take the bumps in the road with dignity and get on with it and not obsess," says Nathan. "And most interior designers really get frantic about deadlines and presentations, but she has taught me how to temper that and go with the flow, to rise above it."

The pair met the new-millennium way -- over the Internet. Nathan had posted her resume at the same time that Williams was looking for someone to run her new firm's office. But even after several phone interviews, Nathan didn't know exactly who she was talking to until the pair finally met face-to-face; until then, Williams had used an alias to make sure interviewees were serious about the job.

Still, Venus' star status hasn't been a factor in the business, says Nathan. The two women are so comfortable together that "half the time she's my boss, and half the time she's my daughter," Nathan says.

Williams and Nathan also have established a division-of-labor system for design projects: They meet with new clients together, each writing down her vision for the project. Later, they compare notes. Nathan then handles the business side of the job, such as placing orders and dealing with contractors, while Williams weighs in on the creative side, selecting the different elements of the design such as colors, fabrics and furniture styles.

"She's got great taste and a great sense of color," Nathan says of Williams. "She knows every fabric swatch in our office, and she has a great sense of balance without having learned it yet, although she is studying."

In fact, Williams can't legally call herself an interior designer -- only a "decorator" -- until she completes the necessary courses to earn her licensing. But she's trying to squeeze it in. "Give me a couple years," she says -- and there's the laugh again.

By then, she will have finished the London-based correspondence course through which she's studying interior design. In the meantime, each project she works on with Nathan teaches her more.

"The hands-on experience I'm getting now is really good. It's like with tennis -- when I look back, when I first started, I don't even know how I was winning matches because I knew zero. But now I understand the game."

Venus Williams upset by Shaughnessy at Key Biscayne

By STEVEN WINE

.c The Associated Press

KEY BISCAYNE, Fla. (AP) - Venus Williams overcame eight match points but couldn't sustain a last-ditch rally and lost to fellow American Meghann Shaughnessy 7-6 (2), 6-1 Monday night at the Nasdaq-100 Open.

The fourth-round upset spoiled a potential quarterfinal showdown between the No. 2-seeded Williams and No. 6 Jennifer Capriati. Advancing instead was Shaughnessy, who is seeded 23rd and beat Williams for only the second time in their seven meetings.

``I'm so happy,'' she said. ``It's not even going to sink in for a little while.''

Shaughnessy fell behind 3-0 and then began to dominate, whipping shots into the corners that put Williams on the defensive. Shaughnessy won the final four points in the tiebreaker, then raced to a 5-0 lead in the second set before Williams dug in.

She saved four match points in the sixth game, then four more in the next game.

``You don't want to know what was going through my mind,'' Shaughnessy said with a laugh. ``I definitely took too long to finish it there. I was a little nervous and didn't go for a couple of shots.''

Williams made forehand errors on the final three points, slapping a shot 6 feet long on the ninth match point. Shaughnessy thrust both fists to the sky with glee, then happily walked to the net, where Williams greeted her with a smile and a handshake.

Williams' top-seeded sister, Serena, advanced by beating Iroda Tulyaganova 6-0, 6-4. Her opponent in the quarterfinals will be 18-year-old Marion Bartoli, who summed up the challenge of playing the defending champion in charming fractured English.

``She win everybody,'' Bartoli said.

That's why the path to a title is about to become a whole lot tougher for Bartoli, who has led a charmed life since arriving at Key Biscayne.

After winning two qualifying matches, Bartoli drew a wild-card entrant, a lucky loser and a qualifier in the first three rounds - and beat them all. She won again Monday when No. 7-seeded Lindsay Davenport strained her right hamstring in the second game and was forced to retire after losing the first set 6-0.

That gave Bartoli a berth in the quarterfinals Tuesday against Serena Williams, who is 14-0 this year.

``It's very exciting,'' said Bartoli, who hails from the small town of Retournac in central France. ``Nothing to lose, just to enjoy to play against the No. 1 in the world.''

As if to underscore the challenge she faces, the WTA Tour honored Williams in a stadium court ceremony Monday as its player of the year for 2002.

``Always some people say, `Serena Williams is unbelievable. She plays so well,''' Bartoli said. ``But I'm going to see what is it really to play against No. 1.''

Other quarterfinal matchups include No. 3 Kim Clijsters against No. 9 Jelena Dokic, and No. 4 Justine Henin-Hardenne against No. 12 Chanda Rubin.

Rubin notched the most impressive victory, beating No. 8 Amelie Mauresmo 6-0, 6-2. Capriati ended a strong run by American compatriot Sarah Taylor, winning 6-1, 6-0. Both matches took less than an hour.

In men's play, five-time champion Andre Agassi routed No. 32 Jarkko Nieminen 6-2, 6-0 in 58 minutes. Agassi's opponent in the fourth round Tuesday will be wild-card Mark Philippoussis, who edged Thomas Enqvist 6-7 (6), 7-6 (3), 6-3.

``It's time to step your game up as you hit this stage of the tournament,'' Agassi said.

No. 4 Roger Federer, who lost to Agassi in last year's final, beat Juan Ignacio Chela 6-1, 3-6, 6-1.

Bartoli has enjoyed success before at Key Biscayne, where she won the Orange Bowl 16-and-under title in 2000 and reached the 18-and-under semifinals in 2001. At the Nasdaq she has yet to play a full match against anyone ranked in the top 90, but her showing will vault her into the high 60s next week's rankings, a career best.

Monday's match wasn't much of a test. Davenport said she first hurt her hamstring Sunday and aggravated the injury in the early going against Bartoli.

``She was playing well,'' Davenport said. ``But I didn't feel like I could do that much to combat it.''

3/22

Venus eases past Asagoe in Miami

By Richard Luscombe

MIAMI, Florida, (Reuters) - Venus Williams led the charge as six American woman raced into the last 32 of the Nasdaq-100 Open in Key Biscayne on Saturday.

The world number two opened her campaign with a 6-3 6-1 defeat of Japan's Shinobu Asagoe despite some problems with her serve.

"My toss isn't in the right spot. I'm not able to execute very well, but normally I'm not making mistakes when a point really counts," she said.

Williams was given little time to rest.

She must play her third-round match against Emmanuelle Gagliardi of Switzerland on Sunday afternoon.

February

Williams beats Clijsters to win Diamond Games final

ANTWERP, Belgium (AP) - Venus Williams beat Kim Clijsters 6-2, 6-4 Sunday in the final of the Diamond Games for her first victory of the season.

Williams, who did not lose a set in the tournament, used an overpowering serve and near-flawless backcourt game to defend her title.

Williams' serves topped off at 117.5 mph, while Clijsters' serves reached 93 mph.

``I put a lot of pressure with my serve,'' Williams said. ``I was always able to force the point.''

Clijsters agreed.

``She was simply far too strong on the important points,'' Clijsters said. ``Her first serves made a lot of difference.''

If Williams wins the Diamond Games in any of the next three years, she can claim the diamond-encrusted trophy racket worth $1.07 million, which goes to the first triple champion in any five-year span.

``I have a great chance to do that now,'' Williams said.

Asked whether she would return to defend her title, Williams said, ``I have no choice.''

Williams welcomed all challenges to her title, even one from sister Serena, to whom she lost in the final of the Australian Open earlier this season.

``If you want to challenge me here, Serena, if you are watching, come on,'' said Venus, who has lost to her sister in the final of the last four Grand Slam events.

Venus accepted the trophy studded with 1,700 gems and immediately showed it to her mother, Oracene, in the stands.

Williams' straight set win came before a capacity crowd of 14,400 that was completely behind local favorite Clijsters.

``I really felt good when I saw the crowd,'' said Clijsters.

In an entertaining opening set, Clijsters forced a breakpoint in the third game, but a great serve and backcourt scrambling saved Williams. In the fourth game, Clijsters saved two break points before Williams claimed the set in 29 minutes.

Clijsters took control in the second set, breaking Williams in the first game.

Williams countered by exploiting the weak serve of Clijsters with a love game to even the score at 1-1.

From that point, Clijsters' backcourt game deteriorated as she started hitting balls long, wide, or into the net. Williams charged to a 4-1 lead.

The once-raucous crowd grew increasingly silent, with Williams whipping balls past the Belgian.

Clijsters closed within 5-4, but Williams refused to let momentum slip and won the match after 80 minutes when Clijsters sent a ball wide.

``I did all I could to get back into it,'' Clijsters said.

Williams withdrew from the Dubai Open, which begins Monday, citing a scheduling change.

Venus enjoys easy win over Clijsters in Antwerp final

Top seed Venus Williams breezed past Belgium's Kim Clijsters 6-2 6-4 to win the WTA Antwerp Diamond Games for the second year running on Sunday.

A sell-out crowd of 14,400 saw Clijsters set the early pace as the home favourite tried to wrongfoot the defending champion with a series of deep groundstrokes to both sides of the court.

But Williams took command and and her consistent serves, often above 180kmh including a number of aces, contrasted with Clijsters' slower delivery and three double faults.

The variety in Williams' game -- as she lobbed, smashed and came to the net to break up the base-line rallies -- eventually ground down her opponent and led to a comfortable victory.

Venus Williams pulls out of Dubai Open

February 15, 2003

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) -- Venus Williams pulled out of the Dubai Open on Saturday, citing a change of schedule.

Williams told tournament organizers she has been forced to take a closer look at her tight schedule for the year and decided to skip Dubai.

Williams, ranked No. 2, was to play Daniela Hantuchova in the semifinals of the Diamond Games in Antwerp, Belgium, on Saturday.

Americans Jennifer Capriati and Monica Seles, along with Justine Henin-Hardenne, the top seed, and defending champion Amelie Mauresmo are entered in the Dubai Open, which begins Monday.

Williams to face Clijsters in Diamond Games final

ANTWERP, Belgium (AP) - Venus Williams coasted to a 6-1, 6-4 victory over Daniela Hantuchova on Saturday to reach the Diamond Games final against Kim Clijsters.

Williams will be going for her second straight title in Antwerp.

``I feel really good with my service games,'' Williams said. ``I'm focused and strong, so I guess I am ready for the final.''

Earlier Saturday, Williams pulled out of the Dubai Open, citing a change of schedule. She told tournament organizers she has been forced to take a closer look at her tight schedule for the year and decided to skip Dubai, which beings Monday.

The world's No. 2 player made a quick and impressive first stand against Hantuchova. Williams started the match with two blistering serves, one of which reached 113.7 miles per hour.

Hantuchova tried to answer Williams' serve, sending a 98 mph-ace that went right past Williams, giving her a 2-1 advantage early in the second set. But Williams answered right back in similar fashion, taking four straight games before Hantuchova finally got to 5-4.

Williams, however, was too much for the Slovak and closed out the set.

She now will face world No. 3 Clijsters on Sunday. Clijsters defeated fellow Belgian Justine Henin-Hardenne 6-2, 7-6 earlier Saturday.

Clijsters moved quickly to take the first set, capitalizing on solid backhands. But Henin-Hardenne came back late in the second set, tying it at 6.

A resurgent Clijsters gave Henin-Hardenne no chance in the tiebreaker, taking it 7-3. She was applauded by her fiance and men's world No. 1 Lleyton Hewitt, who was in attendance.

``I am happy to be through,'' Clijsters said. ``I was a bit sick yesterday, this match was better than against Patty Schnyder in the quarterfinal.''

Henin-Hardenne lost her last showdown with Clijsters in Australia in January 2-6, 3-6, and failed again to break her Belgian rival.

Williams said it's not a big deal that she's going to play Clijsters on her home turf.

``It does not bother me,'' Williams said. ``In playing at home, Kim has to feel good that the whole country is behind her.''

Venus cruises into Antwerp final

(Reuters)

Top seed Venus Williams beat Slovakia's Daniela Hantuchova 6-1 6-4 in the semi-finals of the WTA Antwerp Diamond Games on Saturday to set up a meeting with Belgium's Kim Clijsters.

"I feel really good on my service games and really good on my return games, so I guess I'm ready for the final," Williams said.

Fourth-seeded Hantuchova had never beaten the American in four previous encounters and battled valiantly. She forced Williams to sprint to cover her baseline and occasionally delivered audacious passes.

But the quality of serving set the two players apart, with Hantuchova sending down numerous double faults and Williams producing aces with serves 35 kph faster than her opponent's.

Venus strolls into semis in Antwerp

Top seed and defending champion Venus Williams beat Slovenian Tina Pisnik 6-1 6-4 in the quarter-finals of the WTA Antwerp Diamond Games on Friday.

The world number two, who sometimes needs a while to get going in a match, seemed to take Pisnik off-guard and romped through the first set.

Pisnik, who turns 22 next week, only began to fight back in the sixth game and raised her hands in the air with delight after saving a set point.

"I feel on top of my game," Williams said after the match.

In the second set, Pisnik upped her game a notch to send the American scurrying around the court. She came to the net, whipped balls down the line and floated backhands so improbably low over the net that her racket repeatedly hit the ground.

"It was much more even in the second set," said Williams. "I had to hit a lot of balls. She didn't give me a lot of points."

But Williams raised her game to meet the challenge.

After the match Venus reverted to her playful off-court self and said she was hoping to pick up some diamonds, Antwerp's speciality.

But she said she was not planning to buy anything for her younger sister Serena, who beat her in the final of the Australian Open last month.

"Get her some diamonds? I want to get me some," Venus said. "Every time I buy her something she loses it."

Venus will meet Daniela Hantuchova in the semi-finals on Saturday.

Venus Puts Trust in God and Her Racket

Wed 12

American Venus Williams has no fear of a war in Iraq, because she knows God will provide -- and everything else can be solved through tennis.

The possibility of war in Iraq has gripped the world for months, but Venus is not afraid, she said in an interview published Wednesday.

"God will protect us. I trust in God and not in people. People make mistakes," she told Belgium's De Morgen newspaper.

Her faith made her happy and took away her troubles, she said. "God is watching over us. Religion allows me to let go of tennis a bit emotionally."

Venus, in Belgium this week as top seed in the $585,000 Antwerp Diamond Games, admitted that there were some areas -- such as racism in sport -- where she would have to fight her own battles.

Black players such as her and younger sister Serena were criticized for things that other players were not, she said.

"I know I can't change the world," she said. So she would just have to win her battles by proving her point on court.

"I'll just let my racket do the talking. If anyone has a problem with me, let's just play a match."

She also hit back at complaints that the two sisters -- ranked first and second in the world -- were dominating the game.

"I just don't understand it. If we are successful, there is a problem. And when we're not successful, then there is also a problem. It's like we are never able to do things right."

Serena entered the pantheon of greats in January when she completed a sweep of all four grand slam titles. Venus lost in all four, the first woman ever to do so back-to-back. Undaunted, she vowed to return to the top.

"I plan to go on until I'm tired of this game," the world No. 2 said. "I plan to fight, I won't give up my job just like that. I will become No. 1 again."

"The problem is that Serena has won the right tournaments."

Venus went shopping in Antwerp

Venus Williams definitely wants to take the tournament's trophy - a diamond racquet - home. But since she would have to wait 'til 2004 at the earliest (you have to win the tournament three times in order to take the diamond racquet with you), she preferred doing some shopping in the world famous Antwerp diamond shops.

Venus also practiced her tennis a little. As she wants to sleep like a baby at night, she insists on following serious training sessions during the day. Today, however, Venus contented herself with a short training session because she was already worn out from her long light from Florida.

January

MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) - Serena Slam or Sister Slam - no matter what you call it, Serena Williams is truly grand.

Williams survived an error-filled match to beat elder sister Venus 7-6 (4), 3-6, 6-4 Saturday to win the Australian Open for her fourth straight major championship.

Serena added another Grand Slam title to the French Open, U.S. Open and Wimbledon crowns she won last year, all against her sister.

After Venus slumped through four straight errors in the final game, the sisters met at the net to put their arms around each other's shoulders and whisper in each other's ears. While Serena blew kisses to the crowd, Venus applauded with her racket.

``I never get choked up, but I'm really emotional right now,'' Serena said at the trophy ceremony.

On the verge of tears, she added: ``I'm really, really, really happy. I'd like to thank my mom and my dad for helping me.''

Venus, who at 22 is 15 months older than Serena, paid tribute to her sister.

``I wish I could have been the winner. but of course you have a great champion in Serena and she has won all four Grand Slams, which is something I'd love to do one day,'' she said.

``So, yeah, I'd kind of like to be just like her,'' she said.

Venus, who had been swept in straight sets in her previous three matches against Serena, had her chances this time.

Ahead 5-4 in the first set, she served to close it out - only to have Serena come back to win.

Serena now holds a 5-4 career edge over Venus in major titles and also owns a 6-5 lead in head-to-head matches. Serena collected $654,000 for this victory and Venus won $327,000.

This marked only the sixth time a woman has held all four of tennis' major championships at the same time, and the first since Steffi Graf in 1994.

It might not be a true Grand Slam - tennis purists demand that a player collect all four major titles in a single calendar year - but the accomplishment is rare.

And to do it, Serena had to beat her sister, best friend and practice partner each time. The Williams siblings are the first two women in Grand Slam history to square off in four consecutive finals.

While the tennis wasn't always brilliant, the Australian Open final did offer more intrigue than its three predecessors.

There were junctures, particularly in the second and third sets, where both sisters chased down balls and slugged them with speed and power that no other woman can display.

Unlike at Roland Garros, the All England Club or Flushing Meadows in the series of all-in-the-family finals, there were a match's worth of long rallies, with brilliance from both sides of the net.

Both seemed to invest more of themselves emotionally than in previous encounters, with fists pumping, eyes rolling, and plenty of grunts on strokes.

And Venus took a set off little sis for the first time since beating Serena in the U.S. Open final in September 2001 - which was the first all-sibling Grand Slam championship match since the Watson sisters played at Wimbledon in 1884.

Now it's become rather routine.

Throughout the 2-hour, 22-minute match, Serena showed how intent she was on winning. Even so, Venus tested her more than in their previous three matches, which Serena won in straight sets.

After losing her serve for 4-5, Serena threw her racket.

In the first-set tiebreaker, she took a ball she thought was out and hit a forehand past Venus, who had stopped playing.

Then she turned on the line judge and shouted, ``You just don't call them out, do you?''

After failing to cash in five break points in the final set's eighth game, Serena gave her sister a game point with a netted forehand and slammed down her racket.

Serena had 54 errors to Venus' 51, but beat her 37-28 on winners.

Serving while trailing 4-3 in the final set, Venus really showed mettle, fighting off five break points that would have allowed Serena to serve for the match - the last with a 120 mph service winner.

Serena held serve to go up 5-4, finishing with an ace and a backhand winner. And then she broke Venus' serve to win, with plenty of help.

The match's final four points went like this: Venus' backhand error, Venus' backhand error, Venus' double fault, Venus' forehand error.

The match was played under cover in the Rod Laver Arena due to the extreme heat in Melbourne, where temperatures reached 108 degrees.

This was the first time at the Australian Open that an entire women's final has been played with the roof closed. When Graf beat Chris Evert in 1988, the roof was closed during the match because of rain.

At last year's women's final, the roof was open with temperatures in the mid-90s. Jennifer Capriati and Martina Hingis escaped at times by taking refuge in the entrance tunnels. Capriati saved four match points and won when Hingis wilted.

Capriati also is the only player to dent the Williams sisters' domination of major titles starting at Wimbledon in 2000. She won the Australian in 2001 and 2002 and the French in 2001, but lost in the first round here, hampered by the effects of recent eye surgery.

Joyous Venus reaches first Open final

By Ossian Shine

MELBOURNE, Jan 23 (Reuters) - Venus Williams raced to her first Australian Open singles final on Thursday with a powerful 6-3 6-3 win over fifth seed Justine Henin-Hardenne.

The world number two, runner-up to sister Serena in the last three grand slam finals, played with bone-rattling power throughout to overwhelm the Belgian for the seventh time in eight matches.

Venus will face either her top-seeded younger sister or Henin-Hardenne's friend and compatriot Kim Clijsters in Saturday's final. The pair meet later on Thursday.

"It's so exciting. You know I've struggled and failed and done everything but get to this position before where I can win the Australian Open," a joyous Venus beamed after a jig of victory on court.

"I am just so happy."

Both players sprung from the blocks, determined to make a positive start on centre court but it was the Belgian fifth seed who struck first, breaking in the third game when Venus slapped a swing volley into the net.

Willowy, with her white dress topped off with a retro white sun visor, Venus covered every inch of court in the next game to break back with some brave hitting and dogged retrieving to put Henin-Hardenne in her place.

Venus reeled off the next two games as she threatened to run away with the set but Henin-Hardenne slammed on the brakes, stopping the American her in her tracks, winning the Venus serve to trail 4-3.

HIT BACK

Once again, though, Venus hit back to win two successive games to seal the set with a running backhand down the line after 37 minutes.

Henin-Hardenne was into her rhythm and held comfortably to open the second set while Venus began to look less convincing on her own delivery, the Belgian stepping in and taking the serve early to put the second seed on the back step.

But Henin-Hardenne's groundstrokes lost a little of their bite midway through the second set as she began to miss-fire.

Her fluid backhand began hitting the tape of the net and her forehand flew a little off line.

A double fault allowed Venus three break points in the fifth game at love-40. The Belgian saved one but her forehand let her down on the second, firing fractionally over the baseline to put Venus firmly in control of the match.

A devastating backhand pass, a backhand high swing volley, a sizzling backhand return down the line and a heavy crosscourt forehand gave Venus another break for 5-2.

Serving to reach the final, Venus took her eye off the ball, though. She double-faulted to miss her first match-point and another double-fault a point later allowed Henin-Hardenne back into the match.

Given a lifeline, the Belgian then suffered a bout of nerves, poking a backhand long to give Venus another match point. The American did not squander this opportunity and finished it off by thumping a deep drive into the forehand corner which Henin-Hardenne drifted wide after 74 minutes of combat.

Venus says she wants to spoil Serena's party

By Julian Linden

MELBOURNE, Jan 23 (Reuters) - Venus Williams says she has no intentions of rolling over and letting younger sister Serena win the Australian Open and complete her grand slam of major titles.

Venus said she wants to win the championship for herself, even if it means denying Serena a place in history as one of only five women to hold the four major titles at the same time.

"When I'm on the court, I'm a competitor," Venus said. "No matter who is, I hate to lose and it's the same with her."

The two sisters have played each other in the last three grand slam finals with Serena winning them all to take the world number one ranking from Venus.

Now Venus, who beat Justine Henin-Hardenne 6-3 6-3 on Thursday to advance to the final, wants to end her run of losses against her younger sister.

"I've always wanted to win the titles, especially if it's a grand slam. I'm just as hungry, I'm just as motivated," Venus said.

"If she were to twist her ankle on the court, of course I'd be concerned, but I would still have to go out and hit the next shot. That's the way it is."

Venus won the Wimbledon and U.S. Open titles in 2000 and 2001 but hasn't won a major since. Chasing a hat-trick of majors at last year's Australian Open, she was upset in the quarter-finals by Monica Seles.

"It's so exciting, I've struggled and failed before and never been so close to winning the Australian Open," Venus said.

"I guess it's at this point you think about taking the title home, so at least I'm always in the position to be the victor."

While Serena was twice taken to three sets on her way to the final, Venus hardly raised a sweat as she won each of her six matches in straight sets, getting close to the form that saw her reach the number one ranking three separate times between February and July 2002.

"I think I'm doing good. The only time I'm making errors is when I rush myself but it's in my nature to play an aggressive game," Venus said.

"That's the way I was taught to play the game because the people that are winning are playing aggressive and making things happen on the court.

"I really just have to keep focussing and keep playing like I am. I have to keep my errors down and keep coming in, keep holding serve."

Venus Williams advances to semifinals

MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) - Venus Williams wasn't fazed a bit when spectators loudly called some of her shots out.

Williams responded with a burst of winners midway through the first set that helped carry her to a 6-4, 6-3 victory over Daniela Hantuchova on Tuesday and into the Australian Open semifinals.

``I was fortunate to get through,'' Williams said. ``I don't think Daniela played as well as she wanted to today.''

Williams is one victory away from a potential fourth consecutive Grand Slam tournament final against younger sister Serena, who beat her for three major titles last year.

Serena plays her quarterfinal Wednesday against Meghann Shaughnessy.

In the fifth game, spectators yelled that Venus Williams' previous shot had been out when she won a point with a volley. On the next point, a roar of ``out'' came from many in the crowd on Williams' forehand. There was no call from the line judge, but she missed the next shot.

After she lost the game for 2-3 on an out call that was loudly applauded, Williams came back to win her serve at love and broke for 4-3.

``In the middle of a point when the crowd starts to be noisy, it's best just to focus on your shot and not to worry if the ball was really in or out,'' Williams said. ``I'd like to think they were in.''

She had some shaky moments later, but broke three times in the second set, setting up match point with a backhand crosscourt passing shot on the run and winning when Hantuchova sent a backhand long.

She also served six aces at speeds of up to 125 mph, shown as 201 kilometers an hour on the board.

``I don't know if I served well, but did everyone see the 201?'' she asked later. ``I was surprised when I saw that speed. I got a bit distracted but I got my focus back.''

Since hitting the fastest recorded serve in women's tennis, 127 mph in 1998, Williams said she had been concentrating more on placement, hitting her fastest serves when she hasn't been trying.

Now, she said, ``I'm going to start trying to see if I can serve even bigger than the record.''

Hantuchova, a 19-year-old Slovakian seeded seventh, came close to beating Williams at last year's Australian Open, but now has a 0-4 record against her.

Hantuchova had a chance to even the first set at 5-all when Williams, serving at 40-15, netted forehands on the next three points. But with Williams helpless at the net, Hantuchova hit a lob long. She had three errors on the next four points.

Venus marches Pratt out of the Open

Sunday, 19 January, 2003

by Barry Levinson

Venus Williams has swept aside the last remaining Australian in the women's singles draw, Nicole Pratt, 6-3, 6-2, to move into the quarter-finals of the 2003 Australian Open.

The experienced Williams was not fazed by the boisterous home crowd support for Pratt, who gave her all on Rod Laver Arena, but had no answers to the power of the No.2 seed.

The Australian gained an early break in the first set to lead 2-1, but Williams quickly broke back and always had the ascendancy thereafter, wrapping up the match in 77 minutes.

Williams will next meet No.7 seed Daniela Hantuchova, after the Slovakian defeated No.12 seeded Swiss Patty Schnyder 7-5, 6-3 on Vodafone Arena.

Hantuchova was given a strong workout by the plucky Swiss girl, needing 90 minutes to close out the match. But while the Slovakian blitzed her opponent with 27 winners to nine, a concern for the fan-favourite was her 39 unforced errors, a figure she will need to reduce against Williams in the quarter-finals.

Hantuchova has not been able to beat Williams in their three previous encounters, but she did take a set off her when they met in the third round at Melbourne Park last year.

The two remaining women's singles matches to be completed today have already commenced, with No.5 seed Justine Henin-Hardenne squaring up against No.9 seed Lindsay Davenport on Rod Laver Arena in the feature encounter.

Spain's Virginia Ruano Pascual had claimed the first set against the Czech Republic's Denisa Chladkova in the battle of the unseeded players on Margaret Court Arena.

Venus nearly blew second set

Associated Press

MELBOURNE, Australia -- Venus Williams gained plenty of experience in playing out of trouble.

Another former No. 1, Lindsay Davenport, looked comfortable again on the court.

Williams, winner of four Grand Slam events and runner-up to sister Serena in the last three, trailed 1-4, 0-40 in the second set before beating Anca Barna 6-1, 6-4 Friday to reach the Australian Open's fourth round.

Davenport hit winners even off-balance as she kept Tatiana Panova on the run and won 6-2, 6-2 in 53 minutes.

Despite problems with wildness, the often dejected-looking Williams needed only 17 more minutes to win. She raised her fist in the air and jumped up and down.

In danger of falling behind 1-5, she saved three break points with a forehand volley, an ace and a deep backhand that Barna could not handle. She double faulted twice in the final game before overpowering the German, ranked 69th, with a crosscourt backhand.

Williams is seeded second behind her sister, meaning they could only meet in the final. Serena missed last year's Australian Open with a twisted ankle, but then beat Venus in the championship matches at the French and U.S. Opens and Wimbledon.

She next meets Australian Nicole Pratt, who beat No. 23rd-seeded Paola Suarez of Argentina.

Venus Not Dwelling on Last Year's Slam Setbacks to Sister Serena

MELBOURNE, Australia (Jan. 17) -- Venus Williams says she is finally over the disappointment of losing the last three Grand Slam finals and the No. 1 ranking to her little sister Serena.

The world No. 2 said her near-misses had initially left her deflated and sick of tennis, but she was now over the pain.

"I do spend a lot of time feeling sorry for myself," Venus said. "But after I pat myself on the back, I get back up.

"I think last year for me was a tough year because I was mentally and physically tired.

"I was always going the extra mile to do my best but I really didn't want to go to practice all the time. I always felt tired, so it was a tough position to be in."

Venus, who beat Germany's Anca Barca 6-1, 6-4 on Friday to advance to the fourth round of the Australian Open, said she took a complete break from tennis at the end of the year to revitalize herself.

"If I'm not enjoying my tennis then I'll definitely take a step back and re-evaluate my life and things on the court," she said.

"(But) I'm enjoying it a lot, especially when I'm winning. When things get a little tight, I tend to be a little bitter about my performance, that's natural, but when I'm on a roll it definitely feels great."

Venus has not dropped a set on her way to the fourth round, where she plays Australia's Nicole Pratt, and said she was feeling good about her chances.

"I'm feeling better with every match," the 22-year-old said.

"Serena probably feels confident that she could raise the level of her game when the time counts, and I also have that same confidence.

"I've done it in the past and I'm looking forward to doing it this tournament."

The rivalry between the two sisters is already part of tennis folklore.

Both players have won four Grand Slam singles titles in their careers and both have been world No. 1.

They played each other in the final of last year's French Open, Wimbledon and U.S. Open, and are poised to meet in the Australian Open final.

As doubles partners, they have won all four Grand Slam titles plus the Olympics and while much has been written about the mental strengths and weaknesses of the two, Venus said mind games were not a part of their tactics.

"I think at times mentally you have to be stronger and be willing to go the extra mile. But either you're a better player or not," she said.

"The mind games don't come into play, I've never seen where they could be successful so I haven't even tried them."

Agassi, Venus Williams easily advance at Australian Open

By JOHN PYE

MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) - Three-time champion Andre Agassi took the simplest path to the third round, losing just one game in his second match at the Australian Open.

Meanwhile, second-seeded Venus Williams returned to form Wednesday, regularly unleashing winners off her backhand to earn a 6-3, 6-0 victory over 21-year-old Ansley Cargill.

Venus, who lost the finals at the French, Wimbledon and U.S. Open to younger sister Serena last year, started slowly in her opening round at Melbourne Park. But against Cargill, ranked No. 118, she was never in trouble.

Lindsay Davenport, one of the few women capable of matching Venus or top-ranked Serena for power or big-match experience, made more unforced errors (43-34) and less winners (39-43), than Uzbekistan's Iroda Tulyaganova but still advanced to the third round with a 6-7 (7), 6-4, 7-5 win.

``Sometimes, you're definitely lucky to be in the tournament when you don't play your best,'' Davenport said. ``I'm definitely happy to still be around when some others are not.''

Lee Hyung-taik threatened Agassi for about three minutes, winning his first serve at love and holding three break points in the next. Agassi rallied and won 18 consecutive games for a 6-1, 6-0, 6-0 victory in 80 minutes.

Lee was the first South Korean player to win an ATP Tour title in Sydney last Saturday, but he was no match for Agassi, who had no pity for Lee.

``I have way too much respect for my opponent to feel bad for him,'' he said. ``I know how things can change out there, how quickly. My sign of respect is putting my head down and trying to go to work.''

Asked if he could grade his game, Agassi didn't flinch at giving himself an ``A.''

``How could you not, really?'' he said. ``When you play a guy of Lee's ability, playing as well as he's been playing, to go out there and have a scoreline like that doesn't happen too often.''

Agassi faces left-handed Frenchman Nicolas Escude, seeded 29th, in the third round. Escude, a semifinalist here in 1998, rallied for a 1-6, 6-2, 6-2, 6-4 win over Belgian Christophe Rochus.

Carlos Moya became the highest-ranked man to fall so far, slumping to American Mardy Fish 3-6, 7-6 (8), 6-4, 4-6, 6-2.

Moya, French Open champion in 1998 and the Australian runner-up in '97, was seeded fifth after a resurgent 2002.

The 21-year-old Fish broke Moya in the fifth and seventh games of the deciding set and clinched match point on the Spaniard's feeble backhand.

Venus won 27 of 33 points at the net, and tested her full arsenal, mixing 39 winners with 28 errors as she went for every shot. She sealed the 52-minute match with her fourth ace.

``I just tried to get into my rhythm more than anything else, just hit a lot of balls and get a nice rhythm going,'' Venus said. ``I was able to start being aggressive because I was more consistent.''

Venus Williams shakes off rust to advance

By PHIL BROWN

MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) - Venus Williams shook off two months of rust and advanced to the second round of the Australian Open with a 6-4, 6-2 victory over 45th-ranked Svetlana Kuznetsova on Monday.

After falling behind 0-3 because of some wildness, Williams used a stronger serve to carry her through a match in which she and the 17-year-old Russian were nearly even in errors.

``I'm just a little rusty,'' she said. ``I didn't expect to be 100 percent in this match, but in the next one I expect to be at least 150.''

Williams' sister, Serena, starts action Tuesday against France's Emilie Loit. Serena is seeking a ``Serena Slam,'' in which she would hold all four of tennis' major titles at the same time.

Serena missed a chance for a true Grand Slam - all four majors in one calendar year - when she twisted her ankle just before last year's Australian Open. She went on to beat Venus in the finals at the French and U.S. Opens and Wimbledon.

Asked about beating Serena in this tournament, Venus said: ``I wouldn't exactly say that's my goal. My goal is to be my best. I guess if Serena wins a slam, then I'll be there congratulating her.''

In her last tournament before the Australian Open, Venus, who has four major titles to her credit, limped off with a lower leg strain while trailing Kim Clijsters 5-0 in the semifinals of the WTA Tour Championships in early November.

Serena, who lost to Clijsters in the November final, warmed up for the Open by playing in the Hopman Cup two weeks ago.

Venus' match was the second on the center court, following a victory by Paradorn Srichaphan, a Thai player who improved his ranking by 110 places in 2002.

January 12

Venus Wants a Place in the Universe

By SARA CORBETT

Venus Williams stands in a torn-up condominium in Palm Beach, Fla., assessing a man's shower curtain. The condo has the mausoleum feel of a work in progress, with unpainted walls, freshly marbled floors and furniture draped in drop cloths. Contractors mill about expectantly. Against this stark monochrome, Williams is an arresting, 6-foot-1 presence, dressed in a denim skirt and a leopard-print Versace top that fits like a second skin, the striated muscles of her back rippling and rearranging themselves as she lifts a swatch of shower curtain to the light. The curtain itself is a notch above ordinary -- a scrap of fawn-colored linen -- but the way the 22-year-old Williams studies it, you'd think it was the key to some faraway kingdom, a piece of a large and scintillating puzzle. The question at hand is whether this fabric matches the yachty style of the recently divorced, retired manufacturing exec who hired the tennis star to decorate his place.

''Hmmmmm,'' Williams says. The contractors pause to listen. Her client, a deeply tanned man wearing a peach Polo shirt and tasseled loafers, leans in close. So far, Williams has mulled over a set of earth-tone faux finishes for his wall, determining one to be ''too yellow'' and another ''too glossy.'' She has torn the plastic shipping wrap off her client's old couch and scrutinized its battle-scarred green leather. Now she clomps in her Fendi heels into the man's bathroom, checking the swatch against the shower tiles before uttering her final pronouncement in a voice both soft and self-assured: ''Seems to me this'll work just fine.''

In November, after losing in the semifinal round of the Women's Tennis Association Championships to Kim Clijsters, the elder Williams sister donned an ivory silk strapless dress and held a press conference to announce that she was starting a Florida-based interior-design firm called V Starr Interiors. (Her full name is Venus Ebony Starr Williams.) She posed for photographers before an elegantly arranged furniture display in a showroom in Los Angeles, where the championships had been held, saying she intended to run her new company without missing a beat in her tennis career. To this end, she has rented an office and hired an employee -- a Boca Raton designer named Bonnie Nathan -- and says she hopes that the strength of her celebrity will pull in upscale clientele. According to Nathan, V Starr has exactly ''two and a half'' clients, the biggest being the manufacturing exec, a tennis enthusiast who appears both humbled and titillated by Venus Williams's presence in his home.

''How's your game coming?'' Williams asks. And when her client mentions that he has been struggling with an injury, she offers a collegial smile. ''Yeah, my calf's been bothering me, too.''

Williams's business announcement was picked up in newspapers from Scotland to Thailand, and almost immediately, back at V Starr's small offices in Palm Beach Gardens, the phone started to ring. On the day I visit, two weeks after the press conference, Nathan is still sifting through the pileup of messages. But if the start-up of V Starr has been properly high-profile, it has also led to a flurry of speculation that the formerly indomitable Venus might be edging toward retirement, having been soundly spanked by her younger sister in the finals of the French Open, Wimbledon and the United States Open last year.

In postmatch interviews last season, Venus, who has won four Grand Slam titles and $11.9million in prize money, regularly complained of fatigue, hinting that she was looking for a life beyond tennis. This is unusual talk in the tennis world, a place where top players like Williams generate a hierarchical swirl of agents and trainers, hitting partners and reporters, all crisscrossing the globe over the course of a grueling 10-month season. Tennis creates its own weather, which is to say that for many, there is no life beyond tennis.

Being a Williams, however, means you do things your own way. While other players on the Women's Tennis Association tour compete in an average of 24 tournaments a year, Venus and Serena each played a little more than half that number last year and still remained on top. Together, they have won 8 of the last 13 Grand Slam events. What might seem like hubris to players who compulsively train and compete is what the Williamses like to call ''having a life.'' Serena recently announced that she's trying to break into acting, while Venus has been working on her company's employee handbook -- never mind that there's only one employee.

With this month's Australian Open marking the start of the 2003 season, it's safe to say that all sights are set on ending the Williams family reign. Over the last several years, Venus and Serena have been universally treated as a single organism, as twinned souls embarked on a solo mission -- one that seems to garner a double dose of competitive bile. ''You hear the other players saying, 'We have to keep them out of the finals,' and that kind of thing,'' Venus says. ''They don't think you're listening, but you're there, and you hear stuff.''

It seems the conspirators may have found their opening. According to Rick Macci, who has coached Jennifer Capriati and the Williams sisters at his Florida tennis academy, Venus and Serena's pursuit of outside interests is welcome news to their competitors. ''It's giving other players more confidence,'' he says. ''They finally sense some vulnerability.''

These days Venus and Serena lead increasingly separate lives. From the moment she arrived at last year's U.S. Open dressed in a slinky black cat suit, Serena has made it clear she's comfortable with -- even thrives on -- being a sensation, a platinum blonde and a formidable ball-striker. As the family bombshell, she spent much of the fall traipsing red carpets, accepting honorary awards -- the Associated Press just voted her female athlete of the year -- and working with an acting coach. She has bought an apartment in Los Angeles, often leaving Venus at home in Palm Beach Gardens in the mansion she and Serena built together in 2000 and dubbed La Maison des Soeurs, or house of the sisters.

Lately, Venus says, she has been renting a lot of movies, tending to the family dogs -- Serena has three, including a pit bull named Bambi -- and doing some sewing. Her other sisters (there are five altogether in the Williams family, Serena and Venus being the youngest, and no brothers) often call to check in. ''They say, 'Aren't you lonely?' But I'm not,'' Williams says. ''I'm entertained by my own thoughts.''

Perhaps celebrity has lost some of its luster, or perhaps it's simply that Venus is maturing. Whereas she once drove a Porsche, she now bops around in what she calls her ''monster truck,'' a Toyota 4Runner. Whereas she once boasted of having a shopping addiction, dropping thousands of dollars on designer clothes, she claims -- with a laugh -- to limit herself to buying only ''accessories and hair things.'' Her spending money, she says, is now largely funneled into the interior-design business.

Even her father, the notoriously bombastic Richard Williams, says he won't speculate on Venus's future. ''I used to have a dream for Venus, but I don't anymore,'' he says. ''She's become a beautiful human being who manages on her own.'' It was, of course, Richard who prophesied in 1993 that his daughters, then 12 and 13, would one day be the world's No. 1 and 2 players. And despite the fact that Venus was for years the dominant of the two -- distinguished by a 127-mile-per-hour serve, electric speed and elastic court coverage -- her father proved to be startlingly clairvoyant, having predicted that Serena, with her unparalleled strength, eventually would surpass her older sister.

As Richard Williams's dream finally played itself out last year, with the sisters dueling before record-setting global television audiences, the drama swelled to something more Shakespearean than fairy tale. A happy ending seemed just out of reach. Though professional tennis has produced sets of siblings in the past -- the Everts, the McEnroes -- in each instance, the older child has possessed more talent or birth-order entitlement, facing little or no challenge from the younger. But over the course of the last year, Serena Williams changed all that, slaying her sister's old rivals -- Martina Hingis, Lindsay Davenport, Jennifer Capriati -- on her way to dismantling Venus herself. Whereas in 2001, Serena admitted she had trouble viewing her big sister as the enemy across the net, she evidently got over it. After trouncing Venus at Wimbledon last year, Serena summed up her new mind-set. ''Unfortunately,'' she told reporters, ''it's a war out there.''

The effect was curiously unsettling, akin to watching a princess dethrone a queen, the beta toppling the alpha -- not once, but three times. The play between the two has also been just spotty enough, particularly on Venus's part, to draw armchair psychologists from every corner, postulating that even while Serena has mastered her ambivalence, Venus cannot shed her familial role as her sister's protector -- that when push comes to shove, Serena simply wants it more. ''The way she's dealt with her losses to Serena in the public eye has been first class all the way,'' says Pam Shriver, an ESPN commentator and former player who served as Venus's mentor on the W.T.A. tour for three years. ''What I don't think we know, because Venus has a stoic, private side, is how she handles it behind closed doors, just to herself.'' This year, Shriver says, Venus is ''at a definite crossroads.''

Not only does she begin the season as an underdog, Venus also faces a set of circumstances that could either paralyze or liberate her: the career scripted by her father is now behind her. The sister she has fostered since they were toddlers has come into her own. And her parents, whom Venus acknowledges as the bedrock of her confidence, have recently divorced. The Australian Open presents its own challenge -- playing on Melbourne Park's notoriously gummy hard court, neither sister has ever made it past the semifinals -- and beyond that stretches the long season. If the Williams sisters remain each other's closest competitors, as is expected, they will probably be dogged by the obsessive speculation that followed them through 2002: Are they still best friends? How ever do they manage?

Sprawled in a swivel chair at V Starr's offices, her long legs kicked out in front of her, Williams tells me she intends to reclaim her Grand Slam titles this year. ''I figure once Serena's past the turning point and she's in the position I've been in the past couple of years, then . . . you know, maybe I can do something,'' she says. When I ask whether she's trying to say that it's harder to be the No. 1 player, she bursts out laughing. ''Oh, no, it's much harder to be No. 2, believe me!''

Off the court, Williams has a gentle demeanor -- a low-voiced calm that's leavened by youthful mirth. She speaks primly -- ''Oh, shivers!'' she exclaims when she has messed something up -- and often she will collapse into giggles before she has finished a thought. When her cellphone rings -- at least once every five minutes and usually with a family member on the line -- she hums along merrily with its tones before answering. It's clear that the design business makes her happy. She shows off a stack of vibrant oil paintings she bought from street vendors when in Moscow for a recent tournament. (''I like a lot of color,'' she says.) She points out a wooden chair she picked up in Dubai. (''That used to be an oxcart. Can you believe it?'') When the mail arrives, she pounces on a new set of furniture catalogs, putting a ban on all conversation until she has paged carefully through each one. ''She's deadly serious about the business,'' says Isha Williams, the second of the five Williams sisters and a law student. ''This is not some fly-by-night thing for her.''

Among the Williamses, Venus is uniformly recognized as the family polymath -- the one who, while visiting France, enrolled in French classes, who once stunned a roomful of sports reporters by opining on the Romanov dynasty. When she hits upon a new idea, which seems to be often, she writes it down in painstakingly neat script in the purple notebook she carries with her.

Venus's pace has become something of a hot topic in the constant rotation of cellphone calls between female members of the family. ''My mom called me and said, 'Do you think she's overworking?' She was worried,'' Isha says. ''So then I had to call Venus and say, 'Mom says you should slow down.''' For her part, Venus says she feels no need to slow down. In preparation for Australia, she's been training with a hitting partner in Delray Beach by morning and working on her business in the afternoons. She claims that she has no immediate plans to retire, that she'll leave tennis only when she stops enjoying it. ''Then I'll know it's time to go,'' she says.

The biggest threat to her pleasure, it seems, is not her rivalry with her younger sister but rather the tsunami of hype that builds each time the two meet. When they faced each other in the final round of last year's U.S. Open, Venus confesses, the media chatter finally got to her. ''I couldn't wait till it was done,'' she says. ''I wanted to get away from all the junk. You could be watching a men's match, a women's match or a doubles match, and all they'd talk about was the Williams sisters.'' She does an unflattering imitation of a commentator: '''Do you think it's boring that they're in the finals? Is this bad for tennis?''' She shakes her head like an admonishing schoolmarm. ''Come on now, that's just silly.''

"Silly'' is a word Williams calls up to describe just about anything negative -- a lighthearted deflection of the sometimes relentless criticism lobbed at her and her family. Tabloid rumors that Richard Williams has dictated the outcome of the sisters' matches are silly. Accusations that Venus feigned injury in order to avoid playing Serena in the semifinals of a 2001 tournament at Indian Wells, Calif., are silly. John McEnroe trumpeting that a low-ranked male player could handily beat either Williams sister? Silly. When Lindsay Davenport and Monica Seles whined about how Venus wouldn't say hi to anybody at events? Well, that was silly, too.

Nonetheless, Venus has never quite shed her outsider status in the tennis world, largely because of her family's conscious insularity and the intimidating level of confidence this seems to instill. As Capriati throws hissy fits and Hingis snipes, as losers cry and winners gloat, Venus tends to drift above the sometimes histrionic women's tour with an aloof brand of dignity -- and with Serena trailing demurely just behind. If other players gossip and trash-talk, the Williams sisters practice an even shrewder form of psychological warfare, living in a kind of splendid isolation, barely acknowledging that their opponents exist. Martina Navratilova has criticized them for their lack of humility; McEnroe has called them ''cold as ice.'' Venus understands that others in tennis view her as conceited, but she doesn't worry about dispelling the notion. ''What can I do?'' she says, adding that there aren't a lot of opportunities to get to know one's rivals anyway. ''Everyone's got their own schedule, their own coaches and trainers. It's like a lot of little shows going on, but everyone's separate.''

Any active antagonism from the Williams camp has come from Richard Williams, whose sideline antics are legendary. When the feisty Romanian Irina Spirlea bumped Venus during a changeover in 1997, Venus played down the incident, only to have Richard call Spirlea ''a big tall white turkey.'' After his daughter captured her first Wimbledon title in 2000, Richard rubbed it in with a hand-lettered sign that read ''IT'S VENUS' PARTY AND NO ONE WAS INVITED.''

Times, however, have changed. The Williams parents' divorce seems to signal the start of a more independent era: Richard attends many fewer of his daughters' matches these days, saying he is too busy trying to start a singing career. Venus and Serena more often travel with their mother, Oracene, or one or more of their other sisters. And increasingly they keep their own schedules. Serena, for example, went to Australia weeks ahead of Venus to play in a tune-up tournament. (''I guess she needs the practice,'' Venus shrugs.) For her part, Venus has been working to improve the consistency of her serve, which she hopes will close the gap between her and her sister. ''I want to become like a machine,'' she says half seriously before launching into an Ali-like ham. ''You can't beat this girl! She's too crazy. She's too serious about this game!'' Beneath her swagger, however, lies a yearning for something simpler. ''As an athlete, you work seriously on a time schedule from when you're young, especially if you have someone bringing you up in the sport,'' she says. ''I've been on a time schedule for years. There's a little part of you that says it'll be nice after it's done.''

If Serena begins the new season with an edge, it goes unacknowledged within the family. Isha Williams views her sisters as entering this year ''probably pretty much even.'' And when I ask Richard Williams if he thinks Venus is comfortable being No. 2, he is instantly apoplectic. ''Venus is not No. 2! No. 1 is in your heart and your mind. Venus is No. 1,'' her father says. ''She's always been.''

We are driving through West Palm Beach in Venus's 4Runner, en route to a V Starr appointment, when the official No. 1 phones from Los Angeles. Venus checks the caller ID on her Nokia, turns down the Moby CD she has been listening to and answers, ''Tell me.'' And without formality, they're off at a gallop, picking up the kind of never-ending conversation only sisters can have. ''Did you use the products?'' Venus asks, then waits for an answer. '' . . . But did you try the leave-in conditioner? . . . So which conditioner did you use?'' Serena's voice rises and bubbles audibly over the phone. ''Oh, shivers,'' says Venus, starting to giggle, ''I didn't get that one!''

She pilots her S.U.V. onto South Ocean Boulevard, where palm trees wave languidly in the breeze. ''Eddie George said that?'' Venus practically shouts, beginning to laugh again. She tells Serena about a Richard Gere movie she must rent, before the conversation pinballs back to hair care. ''Girl, you've got to stop yanking at it in the locker room!'' the older sister admonishes. It's almost time to hang up now. Venus is pulling into a parking space, on her way to meet one of her design clients. But Serena's in the middle of saying something, and Venus will surely have something to say back. So we sit for a moment, parked in the shade, as the two sisters trade chitchat from opposite sides of the country, blocking out the world beyond their connection.

Sara Corbett is a contributing writer for The New York Times Magazine.