| Williams
Defends Davenport's No. 1 Ranking
Self-loving Serena and Sharapova
get Wimbledon rematch
Sharapova gets another coaching violation
in victory
By Matthew Cronin, TennisReporters.net
Lumfoto |
| Serena Williams took high-flying
Amelie Mauresmo out of the WTA Championships in a three-set
victory. |
FROM THE WTA CHAMPIONSHIPS IN LA –
Serena likes Lindsay. Lindsay likes Serena, who loves herself. Amelie
and Maria don't like it when Serena trash talks. Anastasia doesn't
like Maria anymore. Maria still loves Yuri.
Tournaments promoters are loving life because on Monday, the WTA
Championships final will be a rematch of the Wimbledon final where
the tour's two biggest superstars – Serena Williams and Maria
Sharapova – will face off.
First, Serena did Lindsay Davenport a huge favor by stopping Amelie
Mauresmo's hopes of snaring the year-end No. 1 ranking by snaring
all the big points from the Frenchwoman in a 4-6, 7-6 (2), 6-4 semifinal
victory Sunday. Then Sharapova finally got over nemesis Anastasia
Myskina 2-6, 6-2, 6-2 in a contest where the French champ was too
tired to put up much a fight against a 17-year-old who has been
gunning for her all fall.
Give Serena tremendous credit for the victory. Prop Mauresmo for
giving it a hell of an effort. But she should have found a way to
break Williams in the third set and didn't, failing to convert 12
break points.
"She went for it," said Mauresmo, who owns a 1-8 record
against Williams. "I give all credit to her because I was playing
well and she really raised her level a lot. I felt like I forced
her to play her best level and make some unbelievable shots."
Well, it wasn't always quite like that. Serena did whip some terrific
passes and come up with some big serves, but Mauresmo approached
the net behind some less than admirable slice backhands that either
weren't deep enough nor had enough bite. Serena doesn't miss sitter
passes on huge points when she's dug herself into a match. She was
super-motivated in front of 9,000 fans playing at home. She loves
the limelight and the limelight loves her. Who else would show up
at the press conference in a shirt that read, "I love me."
'Yeah, I love me'
"Yeah, I love me and I love everything about me," Williams
said. "I love my legs, my arms, my lips. I love my eyes. I
think it's important for everyone to love themselves."
Mauresmo needed to win the tournament to grab the year-end number
one ranking from Davenport. But she doesn't always think clearly
in tight spots, while Serena does. "The key is I really relaxed,"
Serena said. "I felt whatever happened, I was really calm.
In a different situation, I am usually tense, fighting and screaming.
I didn't feel like I was going to lose."
Mauresmo wasn't thrilled when she heard Serena claim she doesn't
get nervous, possibly believing Williams was implying that the Frenchwoman
does get chokey. (Serena didn't imply that.)
"I don't really pay attention to
that," Mauresmo said. "I don't really care. She says
[she gets no nerves] no. What can I say?" Say it will get
better in Australia.
Although Mauresmo is considered more of an all-court player than
Williams, it was the American who was more successful at net,
converting 38 of 54 opportunities compared to Mauresmo's 18 of
31. While Williams committed more unforced errors than Mauresmo
– 43 to 28 – she ripped 53 winners to 24 from Mauresmo.
Lumfoto |
| Maria Sharapova
beat countrywoman Anastasia Myskina. |
Maria Munches Myskina
Sharapova had never beaten Myskina
before. But, after a shaky first set, Maria blew her off the court.
Myskina said it was the worst she had played in months and had
little in her tank. When the Roland Garros champ doesn't have
legs (she's dealing with a calf injury), she cannot effectively
counterpunch. The winner statistics said it all: 34 for Sharapova
versus 17 for Myskina.
The youngster's father, Yuri, got her into trouble again when
he was loudly coaching her in the fifth game of the second set.
She was given a warning … and it's not the first time it's
occurred. Myskina – who was once her friend, but is said
to be tired of her now – stated the obvious.
"He always coaches her," Myskina said. "Most of
the coaches tell you to do something in the match."
Sharapova glumly defended her father again. "I usually don't
want to communicate, but sometimes I let my emotions out,"
she said. "It's not the coach who's playing out there. I
always play by instinct and do the opposite of what people tell
me to do. … I know what position he is in. If I was on the
sidelines watching every single match and going through what he
has all through my career, I would be pretty emotional, too."
At Wimbledon, the 17-year-old Sharapova shocked the two-time defending
champion Williams 6-1, 6-4 in the final. Serena gave a vintage
Williams answer when asked about the match. "I don't know
who that was, but I wasn't at Wimbledon this year," Serena
said.
Sharapova couldn't believe her ears when told of the comment.
"In reality there was one, but she might not have been in
reality," Sharapova said.
So who will win the final. A bitter Myskina picked Serena. "The
way Serena played today, I don't think Maria has any chance. She
played unbelievable. That was great tennis. If Maria played the
same level she played at Wimbledon, she didn't' show it today.
That was not the greatest level. I think Serena has a better chance.
|
