Another all-Williams final at Wimbledon
WIMBLEDON, England (AP) -- Venus Williams' shoulders sagged with relief
as she gave the Centre Court crowd a wave and weary smile, capping another
triumphant day for her family at Wimbledon.
Gallant and a little lucky, two-time champion Williams aggravated an
abdominal strain in the third game but still rallied to beat Kim Clijsters
4-6, 6-3, 6-1 in the semifinals Thursday.
Her opponent Saturday will be defending champion Serena Williams, who beat
Justine Henin-Hardenne 6-3, 6-2 to avenge a traumatic loss in the French
Open semifinals four weeks ago.
The Williams sisters have met in four of the past five Grand Slam finals,
including Wimbledon last year, with Serena winning them all. They've won
the past three Wimbledon titles.
But even by their standards, Thursday's victories were special.
With Serena watching the second semifinal from a Centre Court seat, her
sister won despite a stomach injury that first bothered her two months
ago. Venus grimaced and hunched over after hitting a serve in the third
game, and during the ensuing changeover she took a medical timeout and
left the court for treatment.
Her lucky break was a rain delay after the first set.
``The rain saved me,'' she said. ``I couldn't calm myself down, I was just
so worried about the injury. Serena came in and talked to me. I went out
and talked to my mom and my other sisters.
``My mom said, `Just pray and calm yourself down. If you're going to play,
play. If not, don't do it.' Finally after about half an hour, I was able
to come to terms with it.''
When play resumed, Williams began hitting with her characteristic flair,
and she won 10 of the final 11 games. The victory ensures that her sister
will remain No. 1 ahead of Clijsters in next week's rankings.
At Roland Garros last month, fans jeered Serena and cheered her mistakes
against Henin-Hardenne, but the Centre Court crowd at Wimbledon had only
applause for her.
``I'm just happy to be in the final of Wimbledon again,'' the younger
Williams said. ``I've been able to realize at the French that you can't
always make it to the finals. Now that I'm back, it's definitely exciting.''
More showers Thursday delayed the start of play for 2 1/2 hours, but when it
finally began, Serena Williams was ready. She came out hitting so ferociously
that by the second game the huge hoop earring on her left ear was gone --
albeit only temporarily.
The force of her strokes sometimes sent her airborne, and several times she
let out a jubilant shriek after winning a point.
``I played really well today,'' Williams said. ``I was really focused. I had
to be.''
Williams accused Henin-Hardenne of cheating in their Paris match by requesting
a timeout and then failing to acknowledge it. Following the upset, Williams
drew boos when she brusquely shook hands with the Belgian.
This time a victorious Williams greeted Henin-Hardenne at the net with a grin,
a firm handshake and a conciliatory pat on the shoulder.
``I think she's a good player, I think she's a nice girl and I have no hard
feelings,'' Williams said.
Said Henin-Hardenne: ``We're just two players, and we all want the same
thing -- winning a lot of matches. We don't have a problem between each
other.''
The pace of Venus Williams' serves dropped for a time after she aggravated
her injury, and she stiffened in pain after hitting an overhead. Clijsters
repeatedly controlled rallies in the first set, keeping Williams on the
move.
But the rain delay revived Williams, while Clijsters' strokes became more
erratic. The Belgian committed seven unforced errors in a single game,
losing serveto fall behind 5-3 in the second set, and Williams served it out.
``After that rain break, she came back stronger,'' Clijsters said. ``I felt
like I played a great match out there. The rallies were unbelievable.''
Williams won the final six games. She bent over in pain again after the
next-to-last point, but Clijsters hit a forehand wide on match point.
``I just gritted my teeth and started fighting,'' Williams said. ``And
throughit all, here I am.''
Williams said she hopes to be able to play in the final.
``I'm praying, and I'm going to do what I can,'' she said. ``I have to at
least show up.''
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