Venus Rises, Ana Shines at Wimbledon
Posted by Aaress Lawless on Jul 5, 2007 | Print |
Venus Williams and Ana Ivanovic completed the semifinal line-up at the 2007 Championships at Wimbledon with decisive wins on Centre Court today.
Still playing with the momentum that fired her past Maria Sharapova yesterday, three-time Wimbledon champion Venus Williams grabbed a spot in her sixth Wimbledon semifinal with a decisive 6-3, 6-4 win over Russian fifth seed Svetlana Kuznetsova.
Even though she is one match away from reaching the final - and going for her fourth Wimbledon crown, Venus is content to take it one step at a time.
“It’s definitely step by step because I can’t play a round that I’m not in,” said Venus after her win today. “Obviously, I feel confident going into the semifinal. But I’m just going to focus all my energy into this round for sure.”
Ana Ivanovic, who had her Grand Slam breakthrough only weeks ago at Roland Garros, remained on track to reach her second consecutive major final with a thrilling 4-6, 6-2, 7-5 win over her fellow teen Nicole Vaidisova.
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Wilson Spaulding | Jul 6, 2007 | Reply
How about that Williams. Bam! She steamrolls Sharapova. Pow! She sends Kuznetsova packing. You just have to give it to Serena. When she’s on her game she’s…. Uh, sorry what’s that you say…? What?!? But you’ve got to be kidding. No, that can’t be right. But she’s ranked 31 (seeded 23 at Wimby). She just polished off two of the top five players in the world! It can’t be true. But it is. It’s… it’s…. VENUS!
It would appear that a suddenly less than fit Serena Williams has infused her older sister Venus with the same unstoppable drive that took her to victory at the Australian Open and the Sony Ericsson Open earlier this year. And now Venus is the one who is making more than a few jaws drop. And how.
With far less than winning efforts for most of this year’s tour, Venus has regained her form with an almost stunning quickness. That unrestrained, whacking forehand, whose power all too often sent balls flying long, has been transformed into a controlled and accurate weapon. Venus is finding the angles with precision and firing the ball past her opponents. She still looks tentative coming in to the net. But that gambit may be throwing the other players off stride. Whatever the case, Venus’ style of play is working brilliantly.
Even if Ivanovic stops her ( and don’t bet that she will), Venus has sent a clear and unmistakable message to her peers, the fans and the tennis world: I’m back and I’m playing for all the marbles.
Aaress | Jul 6, 2007 | Reply
Wilson,
Part of reason that make both Williams sisters so dangerous is that they play such high-stakes tennis. There is no middle of the road for them - they are either lethal or losing.
Venus’ “unrestrained whacking forehand” is one of the best shots in the business - when its on. Because she plays such high-percentage tennis, she’s going to either nail a lot of winners, or rack up a lot of unforced errors. What I’ve noticed differently from Venus is that her precision is clearly on right now - and she’s going for her shots.
Should she defeat Ivanovic and Justine defeat Marion, it will definitely make for a thrilling final. I’ll be touching on a few keys to the match in the final preview, should the pair meet, but Venus’ net game and her ability to bounce on Henin’s serve early will play a crucial part in the match.