WTA ADVANTA TENNIS CHAMPIONSHIPS: VENUS WILLIAMS SURVIVES SCARE
By Ayo Ositelu
FIFTH seeded African American Venus Williams yesterday in Philadelphia survived a third set tie-break before she could take her place in the quarter-final of the WTA Advanta Tennis championships.
After an energy sapping match lasting over two hours, Venus, a former world number one and 4 Grand slams winner finally did away with Ukraine's Yuliana Fedaka 6-4,2-6,7-6(7-5) after coming back twice in the see-saw tie-break.
Venus will next face defending champion Amelie Mauresmo of France in the last eight. The African American, who along with her more accomplished younger sister (Serena) has been struggling to find the form with which they took turns in demolishing the rest of the world not too long ago won the first set 6-4 and appeared to be in a hurry to hit the showers when she jumped to a 2-0 lead in the second set. But the fiesty Ukrainian fought back to win the next nine games in a row as Venus trailed 0-3 in the deciding third set.
Somehow, she fought back to win the next four games on a trot to lead 4-3 as the interesting match reached 6-6, thus needing a tie-break to separate the two. Even then, it was not a straight forward affair as she (Venus) needed to fight back not once, but twice in the highly entertaining tie-break.
Venus, her sister Serena, compatriot Jennifer Capariati and Russian Vera Zvonareva are vying for the final two slots in the season-ending WTA tour championships scheduled for Los Angeles.
To earn a shot at Venus, top seeded Mauresmo, ranked number two in the world, spanked Czech star Iveta Benesova 6-2,6-2.
Joining Venus and Mauresmo in the last eight is second seeded Russian Anastasia Myskina (the reigning French Open Champion), who struggled hard before beating Paraguay's Rossana Iveffa-De Los Rios 6-4, 7-6 (7-0).
Others in the last eight include sixth seeded Zvonareva, who was pushed to the brink before beating Nathalie Dechy of France 2-6,6-3,6-4, and another Russian Nadia Petrova who defeated American Amy Frazier 6-4,6-3.
Today's quarter-final between Venus Williams and the red-hot Frenchwoman Mauresmo promises to be exciting and unpredictable in view of the fact that Mauresmo never does well against the Williams sisters, who always seem to find a way to beat her even when she is playing her best tennis and they are playing merely above average. Many believe that Mauresmo's poor results against them come out of complex or stage fright.
Whatever is the reason, Mauresmo could not wish to meet her tormentors at a more suitable time than now, when the Williams sisters are struggling to find their once terrific form, and she (Mauresmo) while red-hot and still having a chance to overtake American 28 year-old Lindsay Davenport to end the year as world number one.
Mauresmo has won four tournaments this year, including last week's Generali Open in Linz.
Only Davenport with seven titles, has won more titles season.
In the final at Linz, Austria, Mauresmo whitewashed Russia's Nadia Petrova 6-2, 6-0.
