London, June 20: They've turned the decibel level up - and nowadays they even earn more than the men.
Women's tennis is on the march heading for the hallowed lawns of Wimbledon.
What's more, it's no longer just power which is the name of the game. The power merchants, in the muscular frames of Serena and Venus Williams, may finally be on the wane, if the French Open triumph of Justine Henin-Hardenne is anything of a yardstick. Henin-Hardenne's bludgeoning of fellow Belgian Kim Clijsters came after she had whipped Serena in a three-set semi-final which left the outgoing champion in tears - though that was largely to do with a ferociously anti-American crowd.

With Venus, champion in 2000 and 2001 before Serena sent her packing in last year's final, struggling for form, Henin-Hardenne and Clijsters now head a raft of players looking to end the sisters' dominance of the event.

Serena will have none of that and says her preparations have been gong well.

"The serve has been marvellous", she explained, reflecting that "I served so badly in Paris". Although the men's champion will pocket 965,000 dollars to a trifling 899,000 for his female counterpart following a 9.5 per cent increase in prize money over 2002, the women can be comfortable in the knowledge that in the sport as a whole they now lead the way.

Bureau Report