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Next! Venus, Serena give U.S. 2-0 Fed Cup lead on CzechsPosted: Saturday April 26, 2003 3:03 PMUpdated: Saturday April 26, 2003 6:10 PM
LOWELL, Mass. (AP) -- Serena Williams didn't know much about her opponent from the Czech Republic heading into Saturday's Fed Cup match. She didn't know her opponent's name -- Iveta Benesova -- and one more important fact. "I didn't know she was a lefty. I figured I was playing a right-hander," Williams said. Williams, ranked No. 1, recovered from a surprisingly tough first set against the 74th-ranked Benesova and won 7-5, 6-1. Venus Williams also won in straight sets to give the United States a commanding 2-0 lead in the best-of-five match. The Americans can advance to the quarterfinals with a victory Sunday. Serena Williams faced set point at 5-4 in the first set before taking control of the match. "I had to go into another gear. I didn't feel like going three sets," Williams said. "I was just going after too much. I should have just took some pace off the ball and try to move it around ... as opposed to blasting everybody." Venus Williams routed Daja Bedanova 6-1, 6-0 in 48 minutes in the first match. On Sunday, the Williams sisters switch opponents. They also are scheduled to play doubles against Eva Birnerova and Klara Koukalova, although doubles players can be changed up to 15 minutes before the match. The Americans, beaten in the first round last year, are favored to win what would be their 18th Fed Cup title. U.S. captain Billie Jean King cautioned against overconfidence. "To think ahead or underestimate -- you just cannot do that, in life or on the tennis court," King said. Benesova and Bedanova both came out strong, and the pair played without pressure. Bedanova, who will face Serena Williams on Sunday, is trying to figure out how to play the top-ranked player in the world. "We're going to talk about that, maybe have a dinner, just relax a little bit and try to be motivated, which is so hard to be against them," Bedanova said. "It's a different game against them." Bedanova, the highest-ranked Czech at No. 44, is 0-6 against the Williams sisters. "She played really well," Venus Williams said. "I had to keep her running. I had to push her out of the way. I had to make her make the first error because the court was fast and she was taking advantage of that." The U.S. squad also includes No. 19 Meghann Shaughnessy and No. 26 Alexandra Stevenson. The Fed Cup final is in November. Austria eliminated the U.S. team last year in Charlotte, N.C., a defeat that King said has motivated the Americans. The United States forfeited the first match last year after King kicked Jennifer Capriati off the team for practice violations. The Williams sisters, winners of six of the last seven Grand Slam singles titles, last played Fed Cup in the 1999 final, leading the team to a championship over Russia. The U.S. team beat Spain for the 2000 title, but skipped the 2001 final in Madrid because of security concerns after the Sept. 11 attacks. Slovakia defeated Spain to win the Cup last year. Slovenia became the first team to reach this year's quarterfinals by beating Argentina. Katarina Srebotnik beat Maria-Emilia Salerni 6-3, 6-7 (1), 6-1 in Buenos Aires after she and Tina Pisnik won their singles Friday. In other World Group matches, it was: Belgium 2, Austria 0; France 2, Colombia 0; Germany 1, Slovakia 0; Russia 2, Croatia 0; Spain 1, Australia 1; and Sweden 1, Italy 1. The Belgian squad was led by Kim Clijsters and Justine Henin-Hardenne in Bree, Belgium. Clijsters, weakened by flu earlier in the week, rallied past 162nd-ranked Evelyn Fauth 4-6, 6-2, 6-2. Henin-Hardenne then beat Patricia Wartusch 6-2, 6-1. "I knew it was going to be tough," Clijsters said. "I had to keep running until the end."
Germany was close to a 2-0 lead but the second match was stopped
because of rain.
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