| This Time, It's Big Sister's Turn | |
Dateline: 07/07/00
Lilian Watson is avenged! 116 years ago, her little sister Maud defeated her in Wimbledon's first women's final. No doubt, it was for Lilian's sake that Venus dispatched little sister Serena in straight sets, 6-2, 7-6 (3), in this year's semifinal.
Venus seemed to take little pleasure in the win, though. For one thing, it was not a high-quality match. All too many points ended in unforced errors, especially from Serena's forehand, and this made the loss especially hard to take for Serena, who was still crying half an hour after the match ended. The sisters have even taken turns playing most tournaments other than the Grand Slams to avoid having to face each other. A loss might have been even harder for 20-year-old Venus, given that 18-year-old Serena had already upstaged her by being the first to win a Grand Slam, the 1999 US Open.
Many of the WTA players and press had expected Serena to prevail, based in large part on the ease with which she had cruised through the rounds preceding her meeting with Venus. Serena had played very little tennis for several months before Wimbledon, mostly so that she could recover from injuries. Her success through the quarterfinals, given that long layoff, only impressed everyone more. She hadn't faced anyone of nearly Venus's caliber though, and the lack of true match-toughness showed as she seemed to lack the spark and resolve needed at key moments. She lost the first set quickly, then got ahead 4-2 in the second set, only to lose the next 11 points and trail 4-5. She got ahead again in the tie-break at 3-1, then lost the next six points, the last a double fault that ended the match.
Venus, at 6'1", looks quite lanky next to her 5'10" sister. Unlike most taller players, though, Venus moves very well. Venus's height gives her the bigger serve and greater reach at net, but most commentators seem to agree that Serena has the more perfect build for tennis. Serena can deliver almost as much power as Venus and can cover as much ground, but she has the added advantage of being able to change direction more quickly, in part because every part of her more compact frame has a generous allotment of muscle. Venus, strong as she is, has a musculature that seems to have been stretched to fit.
Venus will face Lindsay Davenport in the final, a showdown between the two most powerful hitters in women's tennis. Lindsay had a pretty easy time with Jelena Dokic, taking only 51 minutes to defeat her 6-4, 6-2. Venus covers the court much better than Lindsay, but Lindsay has more efficient and reliable strokes. As you watch the match, you'll note how much harder Venus seems to be working. Venus will be the more determining factor in the match. If she's seeing the ball and timing her strokes well, she'll have an excellent chance. If she's a little off, Lindsay should prevail. Lindsay can be off too, but at this stage in the tournament, her performance range is likely to be the narrower of the two.
One of our forum member says, ". . . Serena Williams has the potential to be the best all-around woman tennis player in history." What do you think?
