New York, Aug 03: Without Serena Williams, the US Open women's title suddenly seems up for grabs. Her sister, Venus, can look forward to the possibility of facing someone else in a grand slam final.

Lindsay Davenport or Jennifer Capriati could add to their collections of major titles. Kim Clijsters just might claim her first.
Serena's withdrawal Friday because of left knee surgery makes for a distinctly different tournament. And with Pete Sampras all but retired, the Open will be without either defending champion for the first time since 1971 when action starts Aug. 25.
"It's just much more wide open without Serena in the field," Davenport said yesterday at a hard-court event in Carlsbad, California. "It changes a lot. She would be the clear favourite of any slam that we enter."
Now there's an understatement. The world's no. 1-ranked player, Serena has won five of the past six majors, a streak that began at the 2002 French Open and extended to Wimbledon last month.



Each time, she beat Venus in the final. The lone blip: a three-set loss to eventual champion Justine Henin-Hardenne in the French Open semifinals this year.



That run is all the more impressive given that Serena was playing on a bum knee for about a year. Originally diagnosed as tendinitis, it forced her to pull out of the tournament in Scottsdale, Arizona, in late February.


Bureau Report