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Williams wins twice in a day to reach final
Defending champion Venus Williams won her second match in less than eight hours on Friday to reach the final of the Pilot Pen WTA tournament.
Defending champion Venus Williams won her second match in less than eight hours on Friday to reach the final of the Pilot Pen WTA tournament.
Third seeded Williams, who has never lost a match in her three years of playing in New Haven, defeated fellow American Jennifer Capriati 6-4 7-6 to set up a clash with top seed Lindsay Davenport. Davenport advanced to the final when her opponent, Kim Clijsters, withdrew with a right leg muscle injury.
Williams showed no sign of fatigue after taking over two hours earlier in the day to beat Justine Henin 6-3 5-7 6-2 in a rain-affected quarter-final carried over from Thursday.
In a hard-hitting baseline battle, it was the defending champion who held the edge as second seeded Capriati struggled with her serve.
Only three games went with serve in the first set as both players fought for the advantage. Capriati broke in the first game, but after holding for 2-0 she failed to earn a game point in her next five service games.
It was not until Williams led 3-0 in the second set and was threatening to stroll away with the match that Capriati finally held serve again.
Capriati then had the opportunity to level at 4-4, but after breaking Williams to love in the seventh game she dropped her own serve without winning a point.
A second opportunity came in the next game when she again broke Williams to love. She then held serve, saved a match point at 6-5 when she forced a backhand error, but failed to make an impression in the tiebreak, winning just one point.
Williams overcame a resilient Henin in a tough struggle earlier in the day. She found it difficult to settle into a rhythm and struggled with her serve, hitting 10 double faults, but the match could have been decided in straight sets when Williams held a match point at 5-3 in the second set.
Clijsters withdrew from the tournament after injuring her right quad muscle while overcoming Nathalie Tauziat on Thursday. The injury occurred in the second set after she had broken to lead 4-2, and although she tried to practice on Friday morning she had difficulty in moving.
Bureau Report
Third seeded Williams, who has never lost a match in her three years of playing in New Haven, defeated fellow American Jennifer Capriati 6-4 7-6 to set up a clash with top seed Lindsay Davenport. Davenport advanced to the final when her opponent, Kim Clijsters, withdrew with a right leg muscle injury.
Williams showed no sign of fatigue after taking over two hours earlier in the day to beat Justine Henin 6-3 5-7 6-2 in a rain-affected quarter-final carried over from Thursday.
In a hard-hitting baseline battle, it was the defending champion who held the edge as second seeded Capriati struggled with her serve.
Only three games went with serve in the first set as both players fought for the advantage. Capriati broke in the first game, but after holding for 2-0 she failed to earn a game point in her next five service games.
It was not until Williams led 3-0 in the second set and was threatening to stroll away with the match that Capriati finally held serve again.
Capriati then had the opportunity to level at 4-4, but after breaking Williams to love in the seventh game she dropped her own serve without winning a point.
A second opportunity came in the next game when she again broke Williams to love. She then held serve, saved a match point at 6-5 when she forced a backhand error, but failed to make an impression in the tiebreak, winning just one point.
Williams overcame a resilient Henin in a tough struggle earlier in the day. She found it difficult to settle into a rhythm and struggled with her serve, hitting 10 double faults, but the match could have been decided in straight sets when Williams held a match point at 5-3 in the second set.
Clijsters withdrew from the tournament after injuring her right quad muscle while overcoming Nathalie Tauziat on Thursday. The injury occurred in the second set after she had broken to lead 4-2, and although she tried to practice on Friday morning she had difficulty in moving.
Bureau Report