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| | Wednesday, September 8 | |||||
| Results
NEW YORK -- Neither seven double-faults by Venus Williams nor a whipping wind that sent shots flying as wildly as Wiffle balls in Martina Hingis' match could keep them from their inevitable rematch at the U.S. Open. Two years after Hingis thrashed the inexperienced Williams in the final of her Open debut, the two will meet again in Arthur Ashe Stadium, this time in the semifinals.
Williams has not reached the semifinals of any other Grand Slam event this year. Her best success has been at the Open, reaching the final two years ago and the semifinals in 1998. From 0-2 Tuesday, the top-ranked Hingis won 12 straight games amid stiff gusts to stroll into the semis with a 6-2, 6-0 victory over Anke Huber. The wind died down a bit after a brief shower in the evening, and the No. 3 Williams unleashed an all-court attack that enabled her to overcome serving woes in a 6-4, 6-3 win against No. 12 Barbara Schett. Williams dominated at the net and the baseline in the slugfest against the hard-hitting Schett, punctuating the first set with an overhead that caromed into the stands on set point. She broke Schett's service three times in the second set, the last time closing out the match with a backhand return that Schett couldn't touch. Williams, 19, has won only three of her 10 matches against the 18-year-old Hingis. Hingis couldn't quite get a bead on the balls Huber was sending her way during the first couple of games, and she couldn't tame the shots she was sending back. Hingis' befuddlement didn't last long, though, as she demonstrated her talent for adjusting to difficult conditions and outthinking opponents. Players have complained about the wind in the stadium since it opened two years ago. But the remnants of tropical storm Dennis have buffeted the court for several days, making this year's conditions the worst so far. "She used the wind very well today to her advantage," said Huber, who lost to Hingis for the ninth time in 10 matches. "She's just a very smart player, smarter than anybody else on the tour. "The wind wasn't always against me, but it looked like it. I just overpowered the balls a little bit, made too many mistakes. It was very difficult because I play more aggressive than her. My shots are not as safe as hers. I thought maybe in these conditions, she's going to miss a little bit more, but she just didn't make any easy mistakes or any mistakes at all." Hingis eschewed modesty and agreed that she probably is the smartest player on the tour, at least when it comes to playing in the wind. "Today I used the wind very much," she said. "I was able to handle it better than her. She was getting frustrated with the serve. It feels like weightlifting when you play against the wind. You basically have no control if the other player is just as smart. I would take advantage of that. "You learn it by experience. You don't get born with that thing. Some hit the ball hard, some don't. Some are tall. I have to use other weapons to stay at the top, otherwise I wouldn't be the No. 1 player if I wouldn't think a little bit on court." | ALSO SEE Kuerten benefits from injury epidemic at U.S. Open
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AUDIO/VIDEO  Venus Williams answers the rivalry question.wav: 37 k RealAudio: 14.4 | 28.8 | 56.6 Martina Hingis talks about Venus' game.wav: 112 k RealAudio: 14.4 | 28.8 | 56.6  | |||||
