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Heavy hitters Williams, Davenport will air it out in singles final
Posted: Thursday July 06, 2000 03:10 PM
The Williams sisters' matchup was intriguing on many levels, particularly the big sister-little sister thing happening on Centre Court. I don't think either played their best tennis, but how could they? That was a tough matchup mentally for both of them. This time, big sister gets through, and she'll get the chance to equal her sister's mark of one Grand Slam victory against Lindsay Davenport. Lindsay getting through was no surprise; she had very little trouble with Jelena Dokic. The final is another intriguing matchup, but it's a bit different, with two power hitters. That's unlike when a player like Martina Hingis plays one of the Williams sisters or Lindsay. This matchup is going to be about sheer force, and it should be exhilarating to watch. Experience is definitely In Lindsay's favor, but Venus has beaten Hingis and her sister, so her confidence has to be sky-high. This match is a pick 'em, in my opinion. On the men's side, Pete Sampras vs. Vladimir Voltchkov is a mismatch on paper, and probably on the court as well. Voltchkov has done amazingly well to win eight matches here thus far -- three in the qualifiers and five in the main draw, but he hasn't played Pete Sampras yet. Pete seems to be becoming more and more comfortable with his physical limitations in each match; he's been cruising through his last couple of matches. In the other semi, it's great to see Patrick Rafter back and battling for a major title after his shoulder surgery last fall. He has always been popular on the court and in the locker room, and everyone is glad to see him playing well. Andre Agassi seems to have a new lease on life since the Todd Martin match, and he played extremely well against Mark Philippoussis. The matchup favors Agassi, since he has traditionally handled Rafter's serve well. I'm not sure Rafter is ready physically for this match, but even if he does lose, as I think he will, it will be a good steppingstone in his recovery.
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