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A matter of time Williams sisters in great form, ready to win a major
Posted: Wednesday May 26, 1999 05:33 PM
PARIS (AP) -- Both are winning. And the Williams sisters say the best is yet to come. Primed for a long-anticipated title in a major tournament, fifth-seeded Venus beat Natasha Zvereva of Belarus, 7-6 (7-3), 6-0, Wednesday, while her little sister, 10th-seeded Serena, downed Mariana Diaz Oliva of Argentina, 6-3, 6-4. Venus took 1 hour, 22 minutes -- seven minutes longer than Serena -- as both reached the third round. The sisters are in great form, capturing five titles and losing just nine matches between them this year. And while their rapid rise toward the top hasn't included any Grand Slam triumphs, they plan to change that at Roland Garros. "This is my ninth Grand Slam," Venus said. "Now it's time for me to make a move. I'm ready." Serena is equally upbeat. "It's just a mater of time before I reach the top spot or reach my goals," the 17-year-old said. "I plan on doing well here. But I'm taking one match at a time because in the past, I would look too far ahead in the draw and not do too well." As the two-week tournament progresses, the sisters said, look for their games to rise, too. "I don't think I'm playing that well right now," Serena said. "It's not 100 percent, it is maybe 90 percent, but getting better every day. I made a lot of mistakes today and my serve was really off." "But my dad says in order to be a champion you have to win even on your bad days," she added. "I was able to come through today. I was stronger mentally. I never doubted I was going to win." Serena said she is still fighting back from the injury that forced her to pull out of the recent German Open, one of the few down points in a big year for the Williams'. Venus is 27-4. After winning the Lipton championships, she crossed the Atlantic and began dominating the European clay-court season with back-to-back triumphs at the German and Italian opens. "In Hamburg, I played perfect tennis. In Rome, I didn't play so well. Here, OK," Venus said. Serena, 23-5 this year, also won successive events, at the Gaz de France in Paris and then in Indian Wells, before losing in the final of the Lipton to her sister. Against Zvereva, a finalist here 11 years ago, Venus was only briefly threatened when she was taken to a tiebreaker in the first set. "When I go into tiebreakers, I just feel that I am going to win," the 18-year-old said. She wrapped up the on her first match point with a blistering forehand that, though it arrived just yards from Zvereva, was too hot to handle. "I love red clay," Venus said. "I adapt my game. When I am on clay I rally and wait for my opportunity. When I am on grass, I come in and attack."
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