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'I'm getting more consistent' Venus' draw opens up a bit with Davenport's loss
Posted: Wednesday May 31, 2000 11:38 PM
PARIS (AP) -- Finally healthy, but rusty after a recent six-month layoff, Venus Williams says she has been losing badly in practice. The French Open may be easy by comparison. "I have a new practice partner who beats me like never before," Williams said Wednesday following a first-round win over Jana Kandarr at Roland Garros. "It's tough sometimes, because I have pride. You play 20 points and you win only one, that's pretty tough. "But you have to remember I'm playing against a man." Williams' new hitting partner, Jovan Savic, apparently offers stiffer competition than Kandarr could muster Wednesday. Williams won 20 of the first 22 points and cruised to a 6-0, 6-3 victory in 54 minutes. The win was only the third this year for Williams, sidelined from November to April with tendinitis in both wrists. "Every day I'm getting more consistent," she said. "You have to work at it to get it perfect." The fourth-seeded Williams is still seeking her first Grand Slam title, and this is her last chance as a teen-ager, because she turns 20 on June 17. She caught a break Wednesday when second-seeded Lindsay Davenport, hobbled by back spasms, lost to Dominique Van Roost 6-7 (5), 6-4, 6-3. "I guess the draw opens up for everyone," Williams said. Davenport and Williams were in the same half of the draw, opposite No. 1 Martina Hingis and No. 3 Monica Seles. Three-time champion and eighth-seeded Arantxa Sanchez-Vicario advanced in straight sets, as did No. 5 Conchita Martinez and No. 9 Amanda Coetzer. Defending men's champion Andre Agassi beat wild card Anthony Dupuis of France 7-6 (7), 6-3, 6-4. No. 3 Magnus Norman, No. 7 Thomas Enqvist and No. 9 Lleyton Hewitt also won in straight sets. Two-time champion Sergi Bruguera of Spain lost to countryman Juan Balcells 6-3, 5-7, 6-2, 1-6, 6-0. No. 4 Yevgeny Kafelnikov won his second consecutive five-setter, outlasting Mariano Zabaleta in 3 1/2 hours. No. 10 Alex Corretja also won in five sets. No. 6 Cedric Pioline of France advanced when Davide Sanguinetti retired with a back injury in the third set after they split the first two. Williams returned to the WTA Tour a month ago at Hamburg and lost her second match, then lost her second match at Rome. She said her wrists feel fine, but now it's her sister who's ailing. Serena Williams pulled out of the French Open just before the draw, citing a nagging knee injury that has sidelined her for more than a month. But Serena's withdrawal renewed speculation that the sisters' focus on tennis is flagging, and that they use injuries as an excuse to avoid playing each other. "She wasn't ready for the battle," Venus said. "Strange how people question our injuries. Obviously if we go home, there's a proble." Skepticism about Venus' devotion to the sport stems partly from comments in March by her enigmatic father, Richard, who said she was considering retirement. Since rejoining the WTA Tour, she has been coy about her future. Williams is confident that she can win on clay, even though she has lost in the second round, the quarterfinals and the fourth round in her previous appearances at Roland Garros. "For me, clay isn't a problem," the 6-foot-1 Williams said. "I'm a big girl, but I move around pretty well, I think, with the best of them. It might take me one or two steps, and the other person gets there in six."
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