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Back in the swing of things Navratilova strong in doubles comeback at Pilot Pen
NEW HAVEN, Connecticut (AP) -- Two months shy of her 44th birthday, Martina Navratilova easily stood up to the rigors of two matches in a day as she and 19-year-old Katarina Srebotnik advanced to the Pilot Pen doubles semifinals. Multiple matches were the norm Thursday after rain washed out all but two matches Wednesday. It was Navratilova's first U.S. tournament since coming out of retirement this spring. Her guile, experience and quickness, coupled with the range of the 5-foot-11 Srebotnik, propelled the pair through straight set victories. "I feel fine," Navratilova said. "I need match play, so actually playing four sets today is great." They upset fourth-seeded Cara Black and Elena Likhovtsesva 6-1, 6-4 in a first-round match, and beat Kveta Hrdlickova and Schnyder 6-4, 6-0 in the nightcap. Navratilova held all eight of her service games. Navratilova was a player-coach at times and the Slovenian teenager readily accepted the guidance. "I'm all ears," said Srebotnik, who admitted being more nervous during her first practice session with the Hall of Famer than on Stadium Court before a partisan crowd. "The crowd wants her to win and I'll keep her as long as I can in the tournament," Srebotnik said. Earlier Thursday, Venus Williams added to her unbeaten streak.
The reigning Wimbledon champion has not lost since the French Open and won her 17th consecutive match Thursday, beating Patty Schnyder 6-4, 6-2 to advance to the semifinals. Williams, the defending champion, prevailed despite a shaky service game in the first set. She opened with an ace then struggled with four double-faults. Schynder took advantage and broke Williams three times to go up 4-3. "I was very disappointed I had gotten down 4-3, but I didn't feel like I was going to lose the set," Williams said. Instead, she broke back and held serve for the rest of the match. She rifled a forehand cross-court winner to close out the hour-long match. "The thing is, when it comes time, I know I can raise the level of my game, so I'm not worried about my game at all," Williams said. A frustrated Schnyder, who has never beaten Williams in three tries, tossed her racket into the net after the first set, then slammed it against the sidepost. An official had to re-measure the net to make sure it remained at the right height. "I just couldn't hold and couldn't keep up my groundstrokes," Schnyder said. "I just felt her serve coming better and felt even more pressure in the second set. It's really hard to beat her." Nathalie Tauziat, the third seed, also advanced with a 6-2, 6-4 victory against Kim Clijsters. She faces No. 2 seed Monica Seles in a semifinal Friday. Next up for Williams is fifth-seeded Amanda Coetzer. Coetzer advanced with a 7-6 (3), 6-1 victory against No. 4 Anke Huber. It was the second match of the day for both. The diminutive South African is one of just three players to beat Williams this year. Almost a foot shorter than the 6-foot-1 Williams, Coetzer ousted her in straight sets in the quarterfinals in Hamburg, Germany, then lost to her in San Diego. "I feel like she lifts my game to another level," said Coetzer, who practices often against men. She said Williams' rockets are comparable. "She takes the ball so early and she hits the ball really hard," Coetzer said. "I love having the opportunity to play her. I think my main plan is not to be too distracted by who's on the other side of the net."
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