Williams powers into Evert Cup finals
Moya continues run to No. 1 at Champions Cup
Posted: Saturday March 13, 1999 12:10 AM
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Serena celebrates a match point against France's Sandrine Testud -- a win that launched her to the finals. AP |
INDIAN WELLS, Calif. (AP) -- Serena Williams, trying for her second career victory -- and second in a week -- overpowered Sandrine Testud 7-5, 6-0 Friday in their Evert Cup semifinal.
The 17-year-old Williams, who defeated Amelie Mauresmo to win in Paris last weekend, faces two-time Evert Cup champion Steffi Graf in Saturday's final.
In the Newsweek Champions Cup, being held with the women's tournament at the Hyatt Grand Champions Resort, Carlos Moya continued his bid for the top world ranking with a 6-4, 6-4 quarterfinals victory over Karol Kucera.
Moya, No. 3, will replace Pete Sampras at the top if he makes it to Sunday's final. Sampras lost to Felix Mantilla in the second round.
Chris Woodruff, coming back from a knee injury that sidelined him most of 1998, defeated seventh-seeded Tim Henman 6-1, 1-6, 7-5. No. 8 seed Richard Krajicek also lost to an unseeded player, with Gustavo Kuerten taking a 6-4, 6-4 win. Mark Philippoussis beat Todd Martin 3-6, 7-5, 6-1.
Philippoussis will face Woodruff in one semifinal and Moya will play Kuerten in the other.
With sister Venus Williams, 18, watching from the stands, Serena started slowly against Testud. But she took command in the 11th game and went on to win the final eight games. She lost just five points, all on unforced errors, in the second set.
Venus, who also was a winner last week, at Oklahoma City, skipped singles in the Evert Cup because she and her sister decided to avoid playing each other whenever it's feasible. They teamed for doubles, but were eliminated in the semifinals.
Serena Williams, who stretched her winning streak to 10 matches with the victory over Testud, liked the fact there was no possibility she would play her sister.
"I guess it definitely changed my feeling," Serena Williams said. "I know that I can just go all the way. It's definitely a good thing."
After making a string of unforced errors in the opening set against Testud, Williams did a quick about-face with the score tied 5-5. She started hitting her powerful groundstrokes accurately, and Testud began to wilt.
Williams then breezed through the second set.
"She just played so good," said Testud, a French player who has won two tournaments over the past two years. "She got very confident after winning the first set. It was much harder for me to play."
Williams said: "I definitely think I'm playing with a lot of confidence. Who wouldn't? I've won a tournament. If I'm playing well and mentally focused, I can probably take this one, too."
The fifth-seeded Graf, 12 years Williams' senior, won her semifinal on Thursday, a 2-6, 6-4, 6-2 victory over Chanda Rubin.
"Steffi is playing great," Williams said. "She's a good athlete. She's fast. I'm fast. I'm a great athlete. It's going to be exciting.
"I think I've matured a lot in the last six weeks. I've realized it's not time to play around any more. In five years ... it's not going to be my turn, it's going to be someone else's turn. So now is the time."
Woodruff, because of playing -- and losing -- just one match last year, dropped to 1,342th on the tour rankings with just one point, and is currently No. 550. A qualifier into the Champions Cup, he becomes the lowest-ranked player ever to make it to a Super 9 tournament semifinal.
Talking about the possibility he will be included on the U.S. Davis Cup team, Woodruff said, "At the rate we're going, as some guys keep turning it down, who knows, I might be at 550 and playing Davis Cup."
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