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Serena: Three straight Grand Slams Associated Press NEW YORK -- Take that, big sis!
Serena Williams confirmed at the U.S. Open what's become clear since spring: She's not just No. 1 in the world, she's No. 1 in her home. Unabashed about powering the ball and taking advantage of mistakes just as against any other opponent, she easily beat Venus Williams 6-4, 6-3 Saturday night to win a third straight Grand Slam title -- all by defeating her older sister in the final. "Venus dominated me for a long time, but we always stayed close,'' Serena said. "Family comes first for us.'' Before the match, they acted like siblings, with Serena walking around the umpire's chair to whisper in Venus' ear during a ceremony that included Aretha Franklin's singing and the unfurling of a U.S. flag the size of the court. And when it ended, they hugged and kissed at the net, both smiling. They were given a standing ovation by the record crowd of 23,164, which included their parents, Richard and Oracene, and celebrities such as Hank Aaron, Spike Lee, Joe Torre and Susan Lucci. "I'm elated right now!'' Serena said.
Between the lines, Serena showed little love for Venus, taking full advantage of her 10 double faults and 23 other unforced errors. Such statistics might seem to indicate a poorly played match, which most of their previous nine tour meetings were. But like the Wimbledon final, they pounded the ball and chased down apparent winners. With eyes closed, it was tough to tell which grunt, which thud off the racket belonged to which sister. And it was clear in the fifth game that Serena was taking this seriously: When Venus' laser backhand was close to the line, Serena ran over, pointing with her racket to indicate the shot was wide -- the exact way she does against any opponent. Venus had won 19 straight matches, owns a tour-leading seven titles and is 60-3 against everyone but her sister in 2002. She'll still have to settle, for now, for being No. 2, the spot she was relegated to by Serena after Wimbledon. "I just had a great year,'' said the 22-year-old Venus, who's 15 months older. "More than any person other than Serena could ask for, I guess. Everyone has their year and this year is her year.'' When Venus faced match points at 5-3 in the second set, she wiped out the first with a second-serve ace, and the next by extending for a pretty backhand volley winner. Two points later, Venus -- playing with tape on her right hand to cover a blister -- double faulted to set up a third match point. Serena capitalized, sending a booming backhand to a corner, and Venus' forehand hit the net. Perhaps Serena just wanted it more, an extension of her self-described rededication to excellence over the past year. It's helped her go 4-0 in 2002 against Venus and even their career series at 5-5. "I think my level's about the same'' as in 2001, Venus said. "Mentally I'm not there as much. I think Serena's level is definitely more up than last year.'' As often as they are looked upon as a team, they are individuals, of course. Serena is more gregarious and talkative in public, and wore a short, black bodysuit accessorized by pink sweatbands and a $29,000 diamond bracelet. "She's more outgoing,'' said Venus, who wore a more traditional, red-white-and-blue tennis dress. While Venus was quiet and straight-faced throughout the match, Serena displayed plenty of the fire she does when beating other top women. En route to breaking Venus for a 5-4 lead in the first set, Serena yelled at herself after a poor lob. Later in that game, a 12-stroke rally ended with Venus' forehand error, and Serena watched the ball fall out, then screamed "Come on!'' and pumped her fist. Serena served out the set at love in the next game, capping a string of eight straight points with an exclamation point of an ace at 105 mph. She had a 16-13 edge in winners, but both wiped away countless others with the supreme court coverage they have used to become the first siblings ranked 1-2. They have won eight of the past 13 major titles. Plus, they have met in four of the past five Grand Slam titles. Not once in the 20th century did siblings face off for a major championship. "I did the best I could today. I did make a lot of errors and that makes it tough to win the match,'' Venus said. "I think Serena was the best player in the tournament this year.'' The men's final Sunday promises to be a classic: Pete Sampras vs. Andre Agassi.
Both played spectacularly in Saturday's semifinals. Agassi got past defending champion Lleyton Hewitt 6-4, 7-6 (5), 6-7 (1), 6-2. Sampras, without a title in more than two years, beat Sjeng Schalken 7-6 (6), 7-6 (4), 6-2. Rivals since junior tennis, Sampras and Agassi have met 33 times on tour (Sampras holds a 19-14 edge, including a four-tiebreaker thriller in the 2001 U.S. Open quarterfinals). It's their fifth Grand Slam final (Sampras leads 3-1). The Williams sisters are at the start of such a rivalry, although they haven't brought out the best in each other much. In last year's U.S. Open final, Venus won 6-2, 6-4 despite only seven winners. In the French Open final in June, Serena emerged with a straight-set victory while the sisters combined for 101 unforced errors. At Wimbledon, at least, they produced one set of sustained brilliance. Perhaps it's simply a result of facing the game's other most intimidating player, or of two opponents who know each other's strengths and weaknesses much too well. Or maybe it stems from the difficulty of trying to be dominant against a sibling. They hit together two hours before Saturday's final on a practice court beside Arthur Ashe Stadium. Later, they shared time in the training room, one on a treadmill, the other on a stationary bike. Fans are working their way through this new phenomenon right along with the sisters: When in sports have two athletes from the same family been so dominant at the same time? Tiger Woods doesn't have an older brother divvying up the major titles. Predictably, just as the sisters began to warm up for the match, a spectator yelled: "Go, Williams!''
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 One more step: Sampras advances to Open final    Family MattersSerena Williams maintains her No.1 ranking, while Venus did her best to dethrone her sister. Standard | Cable Modem |
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