Williams sisters fire away gleefuly

By Nirmal Shekar

LONDON, JUNE 28. The Williams sisters know a thing or two about dodging bullets. Growing up in a seedy Los Angeles ghetto and playing on public courts in a neighbourhood infested with drug dealing gangs, Venus and Serena often had to duck under flying missiles near their home when gang wars broke out.

If the sisters have come a long way since those perilous early days, living as they do in the plush environs of Palm Beach Gardens in Florida, then there would be quite a number of women on the WTA Tour today who'd be willing to take a few lessons from Venus and Serena.

Lessons, to be sure, not in backhands and forehands, or 118mph serves, but lessons as to how to dodge bullets - the metaphorical variety - on a tennis court. Unfortunately, this is least likely to happen; for the ones firing away are the sisters themselves and acts of mercy are the last things on their minds right now.

The staccato bursts heard on two different courts at Wimbledon on Wednesday bore the distinct Williams trademark as the sisters shot from the hip, so to say, to breeze into the third round of the championship.

The younger one, Serena, spent more time on the crowded walkway trying to get to court No.18 than she did on the court itself against a stunned, over-awed Yvette Basting from Holland, who took such a pasting that not even Edgar Davids - the all-aggro Dutch midfielder playing in Euro 2000 - could have saved her.

The 18-year old U.S. Open champion, plagued recently by a knee injury, was in such imperious form that you got the distinct feeling that Basting was praying that the execution would be swift.

As it turned out, it couldn't have been swifter. Serena won 6-1, 6-0 in 33 minutes. Her opponent won 17 points in the entire match, which is exactly 25 per cent of what was on offer!

By comparison, Venus's match against Ai Sugiyama of Japan was a marathon. And the 20-year old world No.5 actually had to sweat it out on an Indian summer's day on the No. 1 court - which, of course, means Venus spent a little over an hour (65 minutes) on the great stage to carve out a 6-1, 6-4 victory.

By Serena's standards this must be deemed hard work. But, then, you must remember that Sugiyama is no slouch. She is ranked No. 20 in the world, having reached a high of No. 15 and she is as good a counter-puncher as you'll see outside the top 10 in the women's game.

Then again, the way these sisters are going, they might want to line up the rest of the women left in the draw and get it all done in a day. Bang-bang-bang-bang...it's all over. So let's sort it out between ourselves.

Unfortunately, this is not very likely. For Venus and Serena are in the same half of the draw - the top half - and should they meet, it will be in the semifinal rather than in the championship match.

What a pity this. Dad Richard, a big man with a big mouth, one who seldom stirs out of the comfort of his home, is here this fortnight and he would have loved to see his daughters play for the most famous title on earth on July 8.

No matter this, there is still a very good chance that one of the two will end up winning the title here. For both are playing awesome tennis, particularly Serena, who couldn't do a thing wrong today.

And neither woman is showing any signs of rustiness after staying away from the game for long months. In fact, there was a time when Richard Williams even advised Venus to quit as tendinitis in her wrists kept her away from the Tour for a long time.

If anything, the break has helped both the sisters. They are fresh and eager and their appetite for success is voracious.

Venus, for one, is leaner - she has lost some muscle tone - and meaner although it was Serena who looked to be the sharper shooter on the day's evidence.

Before the crowd settled down on court No. 18, Serena was up 5-0 in the first set against Basting whose only claim to fame was a Futures title won a place called Jaffa - doesn't compare very well with New York and a U.S.Open title, does it?

It took all of 12 minutes for Serena to get to 5-0 as she served bombs and belted back return winners gleefully. Basting may not be a world beater but she is a clever woman. She knows how to steer clear of major risks. And she politely moved out of the path of the bombs hurled at her by Serena.

As we approached the end of the first set, you got the distinct feeling that Basting was hoping that the earth under her would cave in. The expression on her pinched face said it all: Please let me out of here. I don't belong here.

When Basting actually won a game, there was loud applause. She deserved it. But her opponent would later put that down to a loss in concentration.

``I lost focus there. I tried to get it back, but if you lose it like that, it is hard to just bounce right back,'' said Serena. Surely, Dad would give her a dressing down for that serious flaw. In the event, Serena made up for that momentary lapse but blanking her opponent in the second set in just 12 minutes.

Was she peaking too early? she was asked. ``Not at all. I haven't even begun to reach my peak. I think there's so much room for improvement,'' Serena said.

Venus herself must be hoping her little sister would not improve too much if and when they meet in the semifinals. Today, Venus was quite impressive as she served and volleyed her way as if she was a natural on grass.

Her fifth straight victory over Sugiyama, and the first on grass, was a routine affair, although the little Japanese woman put up some resistance in the second set when she hit a few superb passes to frustrate a net-rushing Venus. ``I served very well today. I am getting more and more confident serving and volleying,'' said Venus.

Sonya stuns Martinez

Even as she was saying that, Sonya Jayaseelan, a fan of tai- boxing, was delivering the knock out punch on court No.2. Her opponent, believe it or not, was the fourth seeded Spaniard Conchita Martinez, the 1994 Wimbledon champion.

Martinez, who lost to Mary Pierce in the French Open final, was listless as the inspired little Canadian of Sri Lankan origin ran away with the match 6-4, 6-1. The diminutive Jayaseelan is just 5ft 2in and she hits the ball double handed on both flanks.

Jayaseelan, whose career best victory before today was her defeat of Venus Williams in Amelia Island last year, made it through to the third round of a Grand Slam for the first time.

Another early shock of the day was in the men's championship where Vladimir Voltchkov from Belarus outlasted the sixth seeded Frenchman Cedric Pioline 6-3, 6-3, 2-6, 3-6, 6-4.

Pioline, who lost to Pete Sampras in the final here three years ago, heeded the final wake up call as he battled back after losing the first two sets. But in the decider, serving to stay in the match, the Frenchman made a pair of nervous volleying errors and sent down a double fault before Voltchkov closed out the match with a forehand pass.

For a man who owns a fleet of Porsche cars - six at the last count - Jan-Michael Gambill seldom aspired to drive in the game's fast lane.

He seemed content to move unobtrusively like a station wagon, letting the sleek upmarket vehicles pass him by with a wistful smile, as if his parents had drilled into him too early in his life that speed doesn't thrill as much as it kills.

All this until Tuesday evening. In the first Wimbledon championship of the new millennium, the debanoir American whose mother Diane named him after a Hollywood star she adored - she certainly had the right idea - assumed the lead role nonchalantly on the game's greatest centre stage.

Doing 0-100, in tennis terms, sooner than one of the Porsche cars in his garage in Colbert, Washington state would, Gambill sped away down the fast lane to leave the seventh seeded Australian Lleyton Hewitt a long way behind.

Gambill's 6-3, 6-2, 7-5 victory over the Queens champion - Hewitt beat Pete Sampras in the Queens final nine days ago - in two hours and four minutes was as comprehensive as the scoreline suggests.

lThe results: Women's singles: Second round: Serena Williams bt Yvette Basting 6-1, 6-0; Venus Williams bt Ai Sugiyama 6-1, 6-4; Sonya Jayaseelan bt Conchita Martinez 6-4, 6- 1.

First round: Florencia Labat (Arg) bt Nadedja Ostrovskaya (Blr) 6-3, 2-6, 6-4; Jelena Dokic (Aus) bt Greta Arn (Ger) 6-1, 7-6 (8/6); Yayuk Basuki (Ina) bt Marissa Irvin (USA) 4-6, 6-2, 6-4; Kristina Brandi (USA) bt Joanette Kruger (RSA) 6-3, 7-5; Paola Suarez (Arg) bt Emmanuelle Gagliardi (Swi) 6-4, 6-3; Marlene Weingartner (Ger) bt Sylvia Plischke (Aut) 6-4, 6-4; Sandra Nacuk (Yug) bt Jelena Kostanic (Cro) 6-4, 6-1; Gala Leon Garcia (ESP) bt 13-Amelie Mauresmo (Fra) 4-6, 6-3, 7-5; Magdalena Maleeva (Bul) bt Amelie Cocheteux (Fra) 6-1, 6-2; Alexandra Stevenson (USA) bt Rita Kuti Kis (Hun) 7-5, 7-6 (7/3); Lycie Ahl (GBR) bt Barbara Schwartz (Aut) 6-0, 6-3; Patty Schnyder (Swi) bt Tathiana Garbin (Ita) 6-3, 6-2; Sebine Appelmans (Bel) bt Ruxandra Dragomir (Rom) 7-6 (7/4), 6-4; Anastasia Myskina (Rus) bt Laurence Courtois (Bel) 6-4, 5-7, 6-2; Lisa Raymond (USA) bt Jana Nejedly (Can) 6-1, 4-6, 6-2; Patricia Wartusch (Aut) bt Katarina Srebotnik (Slo) 7-5, 6-4; Rita Grande (Ita) bt Melanie Schnell (Aut) 6-3, 6-0; Sonya Jeyaseelan (Can) bt Erika De Lone (USA) 6- 4, 6-4; Elena Likhovtseva (Rus) bt Miroslava Vavrinec (Swi) 3-6, 6-3, 6-1; Cara Black (Zim) bt Samantha Smith (GBR) 6-2, 6-2; 2- Lindsay Davenport (USA) bt Corina Morariu (USA) 6-3, 1-0 retd; Nathalie Dechy (Fra) bt Chanda Rubin (USA) 6-3, 6-1; Kristie Boogert (Ned) bt 14-Julie Halard-Decugis (Fra) 7-6 (7/4), 0-6, 6- 1; Catalina Cristea (Rom) bt Barbara Rittner (Ger) 7-5, 2-6, 9-7; Lina Osterloh (USA) bt Silvia Farina (Ita) 6-3, 5-7, 6-3; Shinobu Asagoe (Jpn) bt Tara Snyder (USA) 6-2, 1-6, 6-1; Sarah Pitkowski (Fra) bt Tatiana Panova (Rus) 6-3, 7-6 (7/4); 12-Amanda Coetzer (RSA) bt Mashona Washington (USA) 6-4, 6-2; Els Callens (Bel) bt Maria Alejandra Vento (Ven) 6-3, 6-2.

Rita Grande (Ita) bt Melanie Schnell (Aut) 6-3, 6-0; 6-Monica Seles (US) bt Karina Habsudova (Svk) 3-6, 6-2, 7-5; Kim Clijsters (Bel) bt 7-Nathalie Tauziat (Fra) 6-3, 3-6, 6-2; Brie Rippner (US) bt Mariaan de Swardt (RSA) 6-2, 6-3; 4-Conchita Martinez (Esp) bt Anne Kremer (Lux) 6-3, 7-6 (7-5); 9-Arantxa Sanchez- Vicario (Esp) bt Justine Henin (Bel) 6-1, 1-6, 6-1; Alicia Molik (Aus) bt Sandra Kleinova (Cze) 3-6, 6-2, 6-2; Jennifer Capriati (US) bt 16-Dominique van Roost (Bel) 6-2, 6-4; Magui Serna (Esp) bt Karen Cross (GBR) 6-3, 6-4; Meaghann Shaughnessy (US) bt Maria Sanchez Lorenzo (Esp) 7-5, 6-2; Mary Pierce (Fra) bt Nicole Pratt (Aus) 6-1, 6-3; Miriam Oremans (Ned) bt Lina Krasnoroutskaya (Rus) 6-7 (5-7), 6-4, 6-3; Sabine Appelmans (Bel) bt Ruxandra Dragomir (Rom) 7-6 (7-4), 6-4; Anastasia Myskina (Rus) bt Laurence Courtois (Bel) 6-4, 5-7, 6-2; Lisa Raymond (US) bt Jana Nejedly (Can) 6-1, 4-6, 6-2; Patricia Wartusch (Aut) bt Katarina Srebotnik (Slo) 7-5, 6-4.

Men's singles: First round: Todd Martin (USA) bt Frederik Jonsson (Swe) 7-6 (9/7), 7-6 (7/1), 6-2; Jerome Golmard (Fra) bt Cyril Saulnier (Fra) 7-5, 6-4, 6-4; Christophe Rochus (Bel) bt Mikael Tillstrom (Swe) 4-6, 7-6 (9/7), 6-2, 4-6, 6-1; 8-Tim Henman (GBR) bt Paradorn Srichaphan (Tha) 5-7, 6-3, 6- 1, 6-3; Sjeng Schalken (Ned) bt George Bastl (Swi) 6-2, 6-4, 6-2; Sebastien Lareau (Can) bt Michael Russell (Usa) 7-6 (8/6), 6-2, 1-6, 6-2; Martin Damm (Cze) bt Dejan Petrovic (Aus) 6-1, 6-4, 6- 1; Arvind Parmar (GBR) bt Andre Sa (Bra) 6-7 (2/7), 6-3, 4-6, 6- 2, 6-3; Hicham Arazi (Mar) bt Igor Gaudi (Ita) 6-2, 6-4, 6-0; 2- Andre Agassi (USA) bt Taylor Gent (USA) 2-6, 6-3, 6-0, 4-0 retd; Tommy Haas (Ger) bt Nicolas Kiefer (Ger) 5-7, 6-4, 6-2, 6-3; Mark Philippoussis (Aus) bt Jurgen Melzer (Aut) 6-4, 7-6 (7/3), 5-7, 6-4; Arnaud Di Pasquale (Fra) bt Markus Hipfl (Aut) 4-6, 6-4, 6- 4, 6-7 (5/7), 6-1.

Stephane Huet (Fra) bt Mahesh Bhupathi (Ind) 6-7 (5- 7), 6-3, 7-6 (7-4), 6-1; Thomas Johansson (Swe) bt Fernando Meligeni (Bra) 6- 4, 6-7 (5-7), 6-3, 6-2; 15-Marat Safin (Rus) bt Galo Blanco (Esp) 7-6 (7-2), 6-3, 6-4; Byron Black (Zim) bt Andrew Ilie (Aus) 6-3, 5-7, 7-6 (7/4), 6-0; 5-Yevgeny Kafelnikov (Rus) bt Roger Federer (Swi) 7-5, 7-5, 7-6 (8-6); David Prinosil (Ger) bt Sargis Sargsian (Arm) 2-6, 6-1, 6-2, 6-4; Magnus Gustafsson (Swe) bt Paul Kilderry (Aus) 6-4, 6-2, 6-4; Nicolas Escude (Fra) bt Guillermo Canas (Arg) 4-6, 6-4, 6-1, 6-2; Jan- Michael Gambill (US) bt 7-Lleyton Hewitt (Aus) 6-3, 6-2, 7-5; Marc Rosset (Swi) bt Franco Squillari (Arg) 7-5, 6-3, 7-6 (7-4); Stefan Koubek (Aut) bt Adrian Voinea (Rom) 3-3 retired; Rainer Schuttler (Ger) bt Carlos Moya (Esp) 6-3, 6-7 (5-7), 6-3, 6-2; Andreas Vinciguerra (Swe) bt Laurence Tieleman (Ita) 7-6 (7-4), 6-1, 6-7, (7-9), 6-2; Arnaud Clement (Fra) bt Goran Ivanisevic 6- 3, 3-6, 6-3, 6-4.

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