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Men's Tennis
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Women's Tennis
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| Saturday, May 5 |
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| Venus overpowers Dokic in semifinals Associated Press | |||
HAMBURG, Germany – Top-seeded Venus Williams used an
overpowering serve to thrash teen-ager Jelena Dokic 6-3, 6-1
Saturday and set up an all-American final at the Betty Barclay Cup.
Williams will face Meghann Shaughnessy, who continued her rise
up the rankings by charging back to upset second-seeded Amanda
Coetzer of South Africa 6-3, 6-4 at the $565,000 event
Williams had no trouble against Dokic as her serve, the game's
most powerful, landed from the start and she polished off the
Wimbledon semifinalist in just 53 minutes by slamming an
unreachable volley.
"If I could serve like that the whole year, it would be pretty
good," said Williams, who recorded 11 aces.
Williams, who hopes to pass No. 1 Martina Hingis in the rankings
by the French Open, which begins later this month, said she had
worked on her technique and serve at home after taking a month off
following her winning the title at Key Biscayne, Fla.
Williams, who won this tournament in 1999 but had lost in
straight sets to Dokic on clay courts last year in Rome, looked
very comfortable this time on the slower surface that has given her
trouble in the past.
"I feel very good. I'm just having a good week and I feel good
on the court," Williams said.
Shaughnessy, playing her third semifinal of the year, has risen
to No. 25 in the rankings and will continue her climb after beating
Coetzer, the world's eighth-ranked player.
The 22-year-old trailed 1-4 in the second set, then charged back
behind her powerful forehand and allowed Coetzer just two points in
the final four games. A lob over the South African's head ended the
match.
"I've been working really hard for years and now it's starting
to play off. I believe I belong among the world's top players,"
said Shaughnessy, who pushed Williams to two tough sets before
losing to her at the Australian Open in January.
Dokic, 18, has long been regarded as a top prospect, but after
breaking Williams' serve in the first set to take a 2-1 lead, she
never really threatened again. The American's shots got harder and
more precise.
"I don't like to be broken, and on that game I think I gave it
away a little bit because I made some mistakes," Williams said.
"After that I tried to focus a lot more. But normally if I am
serving that well, it is a lot harder for me to get broken." Send this story to a friend | Most sent stories | |
ALSO SEE Saturday's results Venus pounds her way into Hamburg semifinals | |
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