FAMILY CIRCLE FINAL GIVES WILLIAMS SHOT AT TITLE

Venus shows old serving power
Martinez has a wealth of weapons

By Ron Cioffi
tennisreporters.net

Ron Cioffi/tr.net

Venus Williams will need a strong serve to calm down Conchita Martinez' winning ways.

FROM THE FAMILY CIRCLE CUP IN CHARLESTON – It was a familiar scenario: overachieving newcomer nearly wins first set but can’t compete with polished Top 10 player in second set.

Jelena Kostanic took her recently-earned Top 53 credentials into the semifinals here but met the seasoned, four-time Grand Slam champ Venus Williams. The outcome: Williams wins, 6-4, 6-1.

No matter how potent her forehand is, no matter how tricky her drop shot is, Kostanic can’t compare with movement and power of the senior Williams sister. Kostanic bounced her racket a few times in frustration. But, let’s be realistic: She didn’t have much of a chance to knock off a future Hall-of-Famer set on reclaiming her throne atop the tennis world after injuries kept her off the circuit the last half of 2003.

“I suppose the whole point of the game is to apply pressure and to not make mistakes and to play better than your opponent. So, that’s really what I’m doing out there is applying pressure the whole time,” Venus said.

There is no doubt Venus did just that, especially in the final set. Williams pulled out one of her most punishing weapons – her serve – and battered the unsuspecting Croat. Venus found her dominating first serve, repeatedly knocking off aces and service winners at 110+ miles per hour. Venus has one of the best first serves of any women in tennis history.

But, more importantly, Venus’ growing confidence showed as she slammed a few second serves at more than 90 miles an hour. The second serve has always been her Achilles heel, a part of her game that must be improved to compete with her sister, Serena, and other elite players. Without a pressing second serve, she can’t feel comfortable holding serve on a consistent basis.

Coming back this year and struggling with a lower leg strain, she has lost to players like Lisa Raymond, Svetlana Kuznetsova and Elena Dementieva.

The final here is a chance for Williams to win her first tournament in 14 months. Asked how she sees this opportunity to break her title drought, she replied, “I don’t even see it that way. I just see it, more or less, as a final and, for me, it’s very good to be here.”

Martinez has a wealth of weapons
Williams will face a complex competitor, the wise veteran Conchita Martinez who beat Swiss Patty Schnyder with psychology and a revived forehand, 6-4, 6-3.

Martinez is a stable of contradictions: the clay-court specialist whose one Grand Slam title was won on the lawns of Wimbledon; the soft-spoken, pleasant personality who can turn into a ruthless tiger on court; the Spaniard who has found a home in the breezy lifestyle of San Diego.

Conchita won this tournament in ’94 and ’95 and has reached two finals and four semis. She loves to camp far behind the baseline and throw rainbow, topspin strokes at her opponents. Martinez said this week that she’s finding her old forehand, the one that propelled her to 12 consecutive years of finishing in the Top 15 and 20 of her 32 career titles on clay.

She stirred up a whirlwind of controversy when her deliberate serving routine and crafty mind games help defeat Patty Schnyder in the semis. The Swiss was so frustrated with Martinez that she refused to shake hands at the end of the match. Patty said about her mental tactics, “She does it to everybody. And I don’t think she needs it because she has a great game.”

Martinez will need to concentrate on tennis and not psychology when she takes on Venus. The American will slam her penetrating ground strokes from all over the court and exploit Conchita’s deep defensive position. Add a resurgent serve and Williams will be pressuring the Spaniard from the first point.

Martinez’ key to victory will be to mix it up, loop and slice, play defensive and then blast a forehand winner. Her tactic must be to change pace and placement. The longer the match, the more she can wear down Venus.