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Venus digs deep to down Davenport Posted: Tuesday July 01, 2003 6:11 PMLONDON (Reuters) -- Venus Williams won a battle of former champions by wearing down fellow American Lindsay Davenport 6-2 2-6 6-1 to stride into the Wimbledon semifinals on Tuesday. Fourth seed Venus, the winner here in 2000 and 2001, reached her fourth consecutive semifinal at the All England Club after finally overpowering Davenport from the baseline to set up a showdown with second seed Kim Clijsters. "It was a tough match for sure and I knew it was going to be, but it just a matter of getting out there and playing my game better than the way she plays her game. It's as simple as that," said Venus. "I had to get in there and fight. Lindsay played really well." Having spent a frustrating year in the shadows of younger sister Serena, who has won four of the last five grand slam titles, the 23-year-old had to search deep into her reserves to get out of trouble against a determined Davenport. The duo had locked horns on 21 previous occasions, with the elder of the Williams sisters leading 11-10, and the predicted baseline slugging match duly materialised. Fifth seed and 1999 winner Davenport entered the arena hoping to overturn a five-match losing streak against her opponent, but she was unable to withstand the Venus blitz early in the match. Venus started the contest in ominous form as dark clouds hung low over a chilly Centre Court. She easily held serve with two scorching aces before breaking for a 2-0 lead by forcing Davenport to miscue a backhand long on break point when heavy showers halted play. Unperturbed by the 80-minute break, Venus clubbed the 1999 champion from the baseline in the opening set as Davenport's forehand rapidly started to collapse. Venus broke the brittle Davenport serve for the third time in the match to claim the first set with a blazing forehand crosscourt winner. Astounding winners But Davenport refused to surrender her own title hopes and frustrated Venus in the second with a flurry of blistering groundstrokes. After working her way to a 3-1 lead, Davenport had to counter Venus's astounding service returns in the sixth game to stave off three break points and maintain her advantage. Pumping her fist and urging herself to stay in the hunt, Davenport withstood the attack before leveling the match after Venus floated a service return long. Both players were now on uncharted territory in this year's championships as they had each reached the last eight without dropping a set. While the rallies became more intense, it was Venus who supplied the first blow in the fourth game. Davenport fired what she thought had been a second serve ace, only for it to be called long. Clearly distracted by the call, Davenport guided an easy forehand wide on the next point to drop her serve as Venus shrieked in delight. That effectively ended the fifth seed's chances as she failed to win another game. The world number four kept her nerve in a high-octane final set to seal victory after one hour 27 minutes with a bludgeoning smash. Clijsters aims to swat VenusLONDON (Reuters) -- After surviving a bee sting to reach the Wimbledon semifinals for the first time, Kim Clijsters was looking forward to trampling on Venus William's title hopes when the pair meet on Thursday. "You have to just believe in your chances and go for it," said the Belgian following her 5-7 6-0 6-1 victory over Silvia Farina Elia on Tuesday. "I don't think we've played each other where we're both at our best but I'll be aggressive myself." Clijsters said she was still sore after the bee stung her stomach during the first set. Venus has won four of their six meetings to date, but with Clijsters enjoying the best season of her short career in 2003, the twice champion will have her work cut out if she is to reach her fourth successive final on Saturday. "I expect her to play well. She's obviously a good player. I don't find fault in anything she has done," said Venus, looking to win her first grand slam title since her triumph at the 2001 U.S. Open. "But my level of play is high enough to definitely play well against any competitor." Venus, who beat fellow American Lindsay Davenport 6-2 2-6 6-1 to reach the last four, has endured a disappointing season by her own standards. Only the Antwerp cup has been added to a glistening collection which already includes four grand slam trophies. "It's impossible to be the shining star every time. It's impossible to be in the winner's circle every time. You don't learn as much if you don't lose a few times," said the 2000 and 2001 Wimbledon winner. Clijsters in the meantime has lifted four titles and is now threatening to overtake Venus's sister Serena at the top of the world rankings. Despite her ascent to the top, Clijsters is the only semifinalist not to have won a grand slam and she desperately wants to join the exclusive club by triumphing here. "It's a good feeling to be to be in another semi and especially here," said the twice French Open runner-up. "This grand slam means a lot to me and overall I'm really happy with my level here. "If the top ranking happens that's great but I'm not there
yet. It's always nice if you can be on top of your sport but I'm
not thinking about that yet."
Copyright 2003 Reuters Limited. All rights reserved. |
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