|
 |   |
|
EVENTS Fantasy Central Inside Game Multimedia Central Statitudes Your Turn Message Boards Email Newsletters Golf Guide Cities Work in Sports
CNNSI.com GROUP
COMMERCE |  |
In love with Paris Serena Williams continues her strong play in France
Posted: Saturday February 12, 2000 02:43 PM
PARIS (Reuters) -- Top seed Serena Williams will defend her Paris Open title against Nathalie Tauziat on Sunday after beating another Frenchwoman, Julie Halard-Decugis, 6-4 6-2 in Saturday's semifinal. Williams has dropped 12 games in three matches on her way to the final and allowed third seed Halard-Decugis little hope once she recovered from an early break of serve. Second seed Tauziat earlier beat Russia's Anna Kournikova in an enthralling three-setter 7-6 2-6 6-4. Williams won the first of her five titles in Paris last year and she is in the mood to win another. "I'm in love with Paris, Paris is in my heart," the younger of the Williams sisters said after winning on her third match point. "The final should be a great match. Nathalie has a very solid game, she serves and volleys well," said Williams, who has beaten Tauziat in their two previous meetings. Tauziat beat Kournikova, 14 years her junior and yet to win a title on the WTA tour, in two hours ten minutes after the fourth seed's nerve cracked in the final stages. Tauziat made experience pay against a spirited Kournikova, who took the upper hand early in the second set. The Frenchwoman had saved three break points in the eighth game before taking the opening set tiebreak 8-6. Kournikova, seeded fourth, quickly went 4-0 up in the second set and led 4-2 in the third before her nerves got the better of her. Tauziat said the crowd had helped come back to win the decisive set, adding "this is a great moment in my career." "In that sort of a finish, experience is what pays," Tauziat, who has won six titles, said. "She [Kournikova] still has a tendency to crack. But in the future, she'll learn from these kind of matches."
Copyright 2003 Reuters Limited. All rights reserved.
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||
