Photos:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/tennis/8071990.stm (second round)
After enduring an injury-induced slump in 2008, Lucie's recent form is much more encouraging. She has a positive win/loss record of 17:11 for 2009 so far, and has risen from #63 to #46 in the rankings.
Prior to the main clay-court season, Lucie had two wins in each of Brisbane, the Australian Open, Memphis and Monterrey, and one win each at Indian Wells and Miami. Her only first-round losses came at Sydney and Acapulco. She also won both Fed Cup rubbers that she played for Czechia (one in February, the other in April).
Lucie's form improved even more in the clay-court season. She reached the quarter-finals of Barcelona, then took a set off #5-ranked Venus Williams in the second round of Rome.
Then she reached the third round of Madrid, beating world #19 Kaia Kanepi 6-2 2-3 retired in the first round, and #57 Anne Keothavong 6-1 7-5 in the second round. She then lost 6-0 4-6 6-3 to world #1 Dinara Safina - and was the only player to take a set off the eventual champion all week.
To take sets off the world #5 and #1 in her last two tournaments is a very encouraging sign for Lucie ahead of the French Open!
What's not so encouraging, however, is the draw: Charleston-champion Sabine Lisicki, potentially followed by a second-round showdown against world #3 Venus Williams.
19-year-old Sabine Lisicki is a top player in the making. She has a huge serve and a big backhand, and I consider her the most exciting up-and-coming player in women's tennis at the moment. I recently decided to become a demi-fan of Sabine, and was hoping for her to have a great run at the French Open until I learned that she had to play Lucie!
Sabine's 2009 so far has been even more impressive than Lucie's: while they have both won 17 matches, Sabine has only had 8 losses to Lucie's 11. Sabine is currently ranked #39, but will surely be much higher by the end of the year.
After a second-round loss at the Australian Open, Sabine beat Lucie 6-3 6-4 in the quarter-finals of Memphis - their only prior meeting. Sabine then lost her semi-final 6-4 3-6 7-6 (7/1) to eventual champion Victoria Azarenka.
Sabine only won two matches in her next three tournaments (Indian Wells, Miami and Ponte Vedra Beach), but then she stunned the tennis-world by winning the Premier tournament at Charleston for her first WTA singles-title: she stunned world #5 Venus Williams 6-4 7-6 in the third round, then thrashed #57 Elena Vesnina 6-4 6-0, #12 Marion Bartoli 6-3 6-1, and #12 Caroline Wozniacki 6-2 6-4 to take the title!
I already knew that Sabine was talented, pretty, and a great fighter, but I think her Charleston-victory proves that she is one of the fine young players making their way towards the very top of women's tennis.
But things haven't really gone Sabine's way since Charleston: she had a respectable 7-5 5-7 6-3 loss to world #4 Jelena Jankovic in the second round of Stuttgart, then retired in the quarter-finals of Estoril with a right-shoulder injury.
Alarmingly, Sabine was hospitalised with severe abdominal pains two weeks ago. But she arrived in Paris on 20th May, and has been Tweeting to say that her French Open preparations are going well.
In conclusion: a very tough first-round draw for Lucie, but there are large question-marks over Sabine after her recent health-problems.
+ Lucie Šafárová [EF] d. Sabine Lisicki [DF], 6-2 1-6 6-1
A mouthwatering, but sadly untelevised match between the last player I inducted into my Eternal Fanship, and one of the leading contenders to be the next (my Passion says Magdaléna Rybáriková [edit: I have since inducted her], but my Reason says Sabine - I need both Passion and Reason to become an Eternal Fan of someone).
A strange, seesaw scoreline. It's understandable that Sabine would be out of sorts after she was hospitalised with severe abdominal pains just over two weeks ago, but I thought she was perhaps just rusty when she stormed back to win the second set. But Lucie made a great start to the third set, and pushed home her advantage like a pro.
ŠAFÁROV @ @*@* * 6 LISICKI @ * 2
The match was second on Court 6, and started at 13:43 CEST.
Sabine serving 0-0: Broken to love.
Lucie serving 1-0: Broken to love.
Sabine serving 1-1: Broken to love.
Lucie serving 2-1: 15/0. 15/30. 40/30. Held.
Sabine serving 1-3: 0/15. 15/15. 15/40 (BP #1). 30/40 (BP #2). Broken.
The scores so far imply that Sabine is out of sorts - perhaps not fully fit after being hospitalised with severe abdominal pains a couple of weeks ago.
Lucie serving 4-1: 30/0. 30/15. 40/15. Deuce #1. Ad Lucie. Deuce #2. Ad Lucie. Held.
Sabine serving 1-5: 0/30. 15/30. 15/40 (SP #1). 30/40 (SP #2). Deuce #1. Ad Lucie (SP #3). Deuce #2. Ad Sabine. Held.
A bit of baggage for Lucie, missing three set-points there!
Lucie serving 5-2: 30/0. 30/15. 40/15 (SP #4). 40/30 (SP #5). Lucie won the first set 6-2 at 14:14 CEST (31m).
ŠAFÁROV * 1 LISICKI * *@*@* 6
Sabine serving 0-0: 30/0. 30/15. 40/15. 40/30. Held.
Lucie serving 0-1: 0/30. 40/30. Deuce #1. Ad Sabine (BP). Deuce #2. Ad Lucie. Deuce #3. Ad Lucie. Held.
An important hold for Lucie from 0/30. Now that Sabine has settled into holding her big serve, a break there would have really changed the momentum in Sabine's favour.
Sabine serving 1-1: 30/0. 30/15. 40/15. 40/30. Held.
Lucie serving 1-2: 0/15. 15/15. 15/40 (BP #1). Broken.
That's a big blow to Lucie's chances. I'm not sure if Sabine was feeling unwell or just rusty in the first set, but she certainly has the momentum now...
Sabine serving 3-1: 0/15. 40/15. 40/30. Held.
...and the advantage of serving first.
Lucie serving 1-4: 0/30. 30/30. 30/40 (BP). Broken.
I think it would be better for Lucie to sacrifice this set now, and start the third set with the advantage of serving first.
Sabine serving 5-1: 0/30. 40/30 (SP #1). Deuce #1. Ad Lucie (BP). Deuce #2. Ad Sabine (SP #2). Deuce #3. Ad Sabine (SP #3). Deuce #4. Ad Sabine (SP #4). Sabine won the second set 6-1 at 14:49 CEST (second set 35m, match so far 1h06m).
ŠAFÁROV *@* *@* 6 LISICKI * 1
The third set didn't start until 14:57 - not long enough for a heat-break, so I guess it must have been a bathroom-break.
Lucie serving 0-0: 0/15. 30/15. 30/30. 40/30. Held.
Sabine serving 0-1: 15/0. 15/15. 30/15. 30/40 (BP). Broken.
Wow - what a great response by Lucie to losing that second set!
But I must admit I'm not that confident that Lucie can push home her advantage from here, after the second set slipped away from her so one-sidedly - and it's not like she wasn't trying, given that the last game of the second set had four deuces. And I know Sabine is a great fighter, so it ain't over till the fat lady sings.
Lucie serving 2-0: 15/0. 15/15. 40/15. Held.
Sabine serving 0-3: 15/0. 15/30. 40/30. Held.
Lucie serving 3-1: 30/0. 30/30. 40/30. Deuce. Ad Lucie. Held.
Sabine serving 1-4: 15/0. 15/40 (BP). Broken.
Lucie serving 5-1: 40/0 (MP #1). 40/15 (MP #2). Lucie won 6-2 1-6 6-1 at 15:25 CEST (third set 36m, match 1h42m).
Lucie had a positive W:UE ratio of 18:13, while Sabine was more aggressive but much more erratic at 19:32. Lucie's W:UE ratio was quite constant from set to set, while Sabine's varied wildly: from 6:13 for the first set, to 9:4 for the second, to 4:15 for the third.
Sabine had much the bigger serve - not that it helped her - with a fastest serve of 124 mph(!) to Lucie's 113 mph, average serve 104-103 mph, average second serve 84-80 mph.
Lucie got 52% of first serves in, winning 74% of the points when she did so, and 37% on second serve. Her first-serve percentages troughed for the second set: 43% in, 60% won.
The corresponding percentages for Sabine were all inferior: just 47% of first serves in, 71% won on first-serve, 28% on second serve. In the first set, she got just 33% of first serves in; for the second set, she must have taken some pace off, as she got 59% in, winning 68% of the points when she did so, compared to 75% in the first set. But she had very poor percentages of first serves in, and points won on second serve, for the first and third sets.
They served 3 aces each, and Sabine served 9 double faults (6 in the first set) to Lucie's 8.
Lucie broke 5 times from 10 BPs, while Sabine broke 3 times from 4 BPs. Lucie won the first set by 3 breaks to 1, Sabine the second by 2 breaks to 0, and Lucie the third by 2 breaks to 0.
Lucie won a perfect 4 of 4 points at the net (all in the third set), while Sabine won 7 of 10 (all in the first two sets). I think Lucie should go to the net more often!
In points, Lucie won 79-67 (first set 30-20, second set 22-33, third set 27-14).
Venus Williams needs little introduction, but I'll give it anyway: she has won seven Major titles (Wimbledon 2000-2001, 2005, 2007-2008; US Open 2000-2001), is a former finalist at the other two Majors (French Open 2002, Australian Open 2003), has spent 11 weeks as world #1 (in 2002), and is currently ranked #3.
Lucie has played Williams twice before, and they have both been second-round matches at Rome: 1-6 4-6 in 2006, and 2-6 6-4 2-6 in 2009 - the latter might have been rather different, had Lucie not squandered four break-points at 1-1* in the third set.
Williams comes into this match with an impressive 20:5 win/loss record for 2009. In fact, she started the Australian Open as favourite after winning the Hong Kong exhibition, in which she beat then world #1 Jelena Jankovic and #7 Vera Zvonarëva both 6-2 6-2.
But she suffered an unbelievable upset to #46 Carla Suárez Navarro in the second round of the Australian Open: 6-2 3-6 5-7 after leading 5-2* in the third set, and wasting a match-point at 5-4*. So perhaps it's a good omen for Lucie that she's the world #46 now!
Williams bounced right back from that setback by winning Dubai, beating world #4 Elena Dementieva 6-3 6-3, #1 Serena Williams 6-1 2-6 7-6 (7/3), and #58-ranked surprise-finalist Virginie Razzano 6-4 6-2.
The following week, Williams won an International-level red-clay tournament at Acapulco, beating world #15 Flavia Pennetta 6-1 6-2 in the final.
After boycotting the Premier Mandatory tournament at Indian Wells, Williams reached the semi-finals of Miami, but lost 6-4 3-6 6-3 to world #1 Serena Williams. She then lost to teen-sensation Sabine Lisicki 6-4 7-6 in the third round of Charleston; Sabine went on to win the title!
At Rome, Williams scored three-set wins over Lucie and #22 Anna Chakvetadze, stunned world #12 Agnieszka Radwanska 6-1 6-2 in the quarter-finals, but lost 6-7 6-3 6-4 to #1 Dinara Safina in the semis.
But her last tournament - Madrid - was her worst of the year, as she lost her opening match 6-3 3-6 7-5 to #26 Alisa Kleybanova.
She also struggled past #45 Bethanie Mattek-Sands 6-1 4-6 6-2 in the first round here, so perhaps this is as good a time as any for Lucie to have another crack at Williams on clay, which is Lucie's favourite surface and Williams's worst.
Williams has a massive serve, a big backhand and amazing long-limbed athleticism, while Lucie has a swinging lefty serve, and groundstrokes of flairsome power - a blistering forehand in particular.
Perhaps the key factor in this match-up is that Lucie is extremely determined and runs like the wind, so Williams - especially on clay - will have to deal with a lot more balls coming back than she's used to, which just might induce a hail of errors from Williams's unreliable forehand.
The key factor in Williams's favour is her serve. Lucie likes to stand in, take her returns early and be very aggressive, but it's tough to do that when the serve is coming down at up to 128 mph! So my advice to Lucie would be to stand back a little, and use the pace of Williams's serve against her.
From www.sonyericssonwtatour.com:
>>>
(3) Venus Williams (USA) vs. Lucie Šafárová (CZE)
Williams leads 2:0
Seven-time Major champion Venus toiled for three sets to get past Bethanie Mattek-Sands in the first round, and there's every chance she'll have to do the same today.
Indeed, the last time these two played was just a few weeks ago on the clay at Rome, and the match went the distance.
Šafárová is tall and left-handed, so her serve is a huge weapon, and she has the rangy power to trade strokes with the 28-year-old American.
Currently, the Czech is ranked No.46, but a couple of years ago, she appeared to be destined for greater things; with four quarter-finals under her belt so far this year, and an impressive first-round win over Sabine Lisicki, she might view this match as an opportunity to step things up a notch or two.
To do that, of course, she'll be required to keep her unforced-error count lower than that of her illustrious opponent.
<<<
- Lucie Šafárová [EF] lt. VENUS WILLIAMS [3], 7-6 (7/5) 2-6 5-7
Lucie made an excellent start on Wednesday, taking the first set off Venus Williams before play was suspended overnight due to darkness.
In that first set, Lucie broke for 2-0*, was broken back for 3-3*, squandered two break-points in the "vital seventh" game, saved one in the following game, and was always one step ahead in the tiebreak.
On Thursday, BBC Red Button showed the resumption of this match after Kuznetsova v Voskoboeva finished first!
The third set was amazing - Lucie even had a match-point - but I'll start my summary with the second set, which was a disappointing performance from Lucie, who wasn't going for her shots as I've come to expect from her.
Williams came out returning ultra-aggressively; she broke and held for 2-0*. The next four games went with serve, then Lucie at *2-4 dropped serve for 2-5* despite leading 30/0 and 40/30.
Lucie stepped up the pace at 2-5*, hitting a couple of return-winners, though she couldn't stop Williams serving out the second set 6-2.
Lucie made a brilliant start to the third set, her swinging lefty serve setting up two crosscourt forehand winners as she held for 1-0*. She also held for 2-1* with backhand and forehand winners down the line.
By this stage, Lucie was hitting the ball as hard and sweetly as she was doing at her best in 2007. Sam Smith even said Lucie was the ideal left-handed player whom junior world number-one Laura Robson should study.
Games continued to go with serve, with Lucie saving a break-point at *3-3. Deuce #3 of that game was the point of the match: Lucie played a great spreading rally, finishing with a down-the-line forehand winner on the 17th stroke.
5-4* was the game of the match. Lucie hit two searing crosscourt backhand winners to put Williams in a 0/30 hole, but she was desperately unlucky on the next two points: a would-be forehand winner that missed the baseline by a whisker, and a netcord that fell back on her side.
Lucie did have one match-point at 30/40, but Williams saved it with a first serve to set up an off-backhand winner into the corner. Then, from Deuce, Lucie missed two backhands, although the first of these was a forced error after a long, nailbiting rally.
At *5-5, Lucie recovered from 0/40 to Deuce - courtesy of a brilliant crosscourt backhand winner, and a great spreading rally finishing with an off-forehand winner. But Williams converted her fourth break-point with a backhand winner down the line, and duly served out the match. The last point summed up Lucie's luck as another netcord fell back on her side.
Lucie was desperately unlucky, then, but she's had greater wins than this would have been, and will definitely improve on her career-high #22 ranking if she keeps up the good work and stays injury-free.
ŠAFÁROVÁ @* * * * *T 7(7) WILLIAMS * *@* * * 6(5)
The match was switched from fifth on Court Philippe Chatrier to sixth on Court Suzanne Lenglen, and started at 19:59 CEST on Wednesday. But BBC Red Button ended their live transmission after the Nadal v Gabashvili match on Lenglen, so I had to make do with live scores. :fiery:
Williams serving 0-0: 30/0. 30/40 (BP). Broken!
Lucie serving 1-0: 40/0. 40/15. Held.
What a start!
Williams serving 0-2: 15/0. 15/15. 40/15. Held.
Lucie serving 2-1: 40/0. 40/30. Held.
Williams serving 1-3: 15/0. 15/15. 30/15. 30/30. 40/30. Held.
Lucie serving 3-2: 15/0. 15/40 (BP). Broken.
What a shame. But I hope Lucie takes inspiration from the way Czech mate Klára Zakopalová fought against Serena Williams yesterday! Not that she needs that as inspiration, of course - she's already incredibly determined.
Williams serving 3-3: 15/0. 15/15. 30/15. 30/40 (BP #1). Deuce #1. Ad Lucie (BP #2). Deuce #2. Ad Williams. Held.
Two break-points go begging. :(
Lucie serving 3-4: 0/15. 15/15. 15/30. 40/30. Deuce #1. Ad Williams (BP). Deuce #2. Ad Lucie. Deuce #3. Ad Lucie. Held.
Break-point saved - phew!
Williams serving 4-4: 0/15. 40/15. Held.
Lucie serving 4-5: 15/0. 15/30. 30/30. 40/30. Held.
Well recovered from 15/30!
Williams serving 5-5: 0/15. 40/15. Held.
Lucie serving 5-6: 40/0. 40/15. Held.
6-6 tiebreak (all scores Šafárová/Williams): 0/0*. *1/0. *2/0. 2/1*. 2/2*. *3/2. *3/3. 4/3*. 5/3*. *5/4. *6/4 (SP #1). 6/5* (SP #2). Lucie won the first set 7-6 (7/5) at 20:58 CEST on Wednesday (59m).
Due to darkness, play was suspended overnight. At least that gives the BBC a second chance to televise this match... doesn't look like it has any plans to do so, though! :fiery:
Lucie dominated the first set with a spectacular W:UE ratio of 19:10 to Williams's modest 14:12. She even hit a faster fastest serve than Williams, although Williams's serves were faster on average. They won 44 points each in the first set.
The most worrying statistic so far is that Lucie is only winning 33% of the points when she has to hit a second serve, although she's getting 67% of her first serves in, and winning 73% of the points when she does so. Williams's first-serve percentages are similar (70% in, 67% won), but she's winning 46% of her second-serve points.
Lucie has won 3 of 4 points at the net so far, so perhaps that's something she should be looking to do more of.
ŠAFÁROVÁ * * 2 WILLIAMS @* * *@* 6
The resumption was second on Court Suzanne Lenglen on Thursday, and started at 12:46 CEST (after a 15h48m delay).
Lucie serving 0-0: First serve: Williams blasted a wild backhand return into the net. 15/0. Second serve: a penetrating backhand return down the line forced a floater from Lucie; Williams went to the net and dispatched it with a crosscourt backhand drive-volley winner. 15/15. Second serve: a deep, hard crosscourt forehand return down the middle forced Lucie to hit an off-backhand half-volley wide. 15/30. Second serve: Williams hit a sharp, pinpoint backhand winner down the line. 15/40 (BP). Second serve: Williams broke with an off-backhand return virtual winner.
Lucie didn't get her first serves in in that game, and it's clear why she was winning only 33% of her second-serve points yesterday: Williams is ultra-aggressive with her returns.
Williams serving 1-0: Williams went to the net, but netted a forehand volley. 0/15. Lucie hit a short-angled crosscourt backhand winner back behind Williams. 0/30. Lucie advanced up the court, but hit an off-forehand wide. 15/30. Lucie netted a backhand off a deep, hard ball from Williams. 30/30. Lucie down-the-line backhand long. 40/30. Lucie netted a forehand return off a decent serve out wide.
Lucie serving 0-2: Williams backhand return wide. 15/0. Williams netted a forehand return. 30/0. Williams netted a backhand. 40/0. Service-winner down the middle: forehand return long.
John Lloyd: "I haven't seen [Williams] this aggressive for a long time."
Roger Federer is on Court Philippe Chatrier now, so I'm very glad that BBC Red Button looks like staying with this match! Previously, the BBC had said it would put Federer first, and only join this match if Williams looked in danger of losing. :fiery:
Williams serving 2-1: Williams forehand long. 0/15. Lucie forehand return long. 15/15. Lucie backhand wide. 30/15. Williams went to the net and hit a forehand smash-winner. 40/15. Body-jamming serve + short-angled crosscourt forehand winner back behind Lucie: on the sideline.
Lucie serving 1-3: Deep second serve down the middle induced Williams to hit a backhand return just long. 15/0. Williams forehand long. 30/0. Williams backhand long. 40/0. Double fault (second serve just wide). 40/15. Lucie's crosscourt forehand forced a deep defensive lob from Williams; Lucie clouted another crosscourt forehand deep into the corner for a winner.
A stabilising hold for Lucie after the fast start from Williams today.
Williams serving 3-2: Williams forehand just long. 0/15. Williams netted a forehand. 0/30. Serve out wide forced a short return, which Williams dispatched with a deep backhand winner down the line. 15/30. The second serve was there to be hit, but Lucie hit a short, weak backhand return down the middle, which Williams punished with a crosscourt forehand just inside the sideline, forcing Lucie to hit a defensive backhand lob wide. 30/30. Williams netted a backhand. 30/40 (BP). Williams went to the net, and Lucie hit a very makeable down-the-line backhand pass wide. Deuce. Williams went to the net, forced a lob from Lucie, and dispatched it with a backpedalling forehand smash-winner. Ad Williams. Lucie dumped a cheap backhand return into the net.
I can't say this is a great performance from Lucie so far today. She's not going for her shots and achieving the flairsome power that persuaded me to induct her into my Eternal Fanship after her 2007 season - she seems to be waiting for Williams to make errors, but that's not happening too often so far today.
Lucie serving 2-4: Williams mishit a wild backhand wide of the tramlines. 15/0. Lucie got away with a woefully short second serve, as Williams, on the fourth stroke, blasted a wild backhand wide of the tramlines. 30/0. Lucie hit a sliced backhand not halfway up the net. 30/15. Lucie took a deep ball early and hit a backhand wide. 30/30. Lucie forced a short ball, and dispatched it with a crosscourt forehand winner. 40/30. Lucie hit a deep backhand down the line, but left a nice gap for Williams to hit a crosscourt backhand winner. Deuce. Lucie caught a Williams-dropshot late, and shovelled a backhand dropshot into the bottom of the net. Ad Williams (BP). Double fault (second serve long).
Williams serving 5-2: Ace down the middle: 118 mph, just inside the service-line. 15/0. Lucie stepped up the pace with a lightning forehand return-winner down the line. 15/15. Lucie hit a down-the-line backhand just wide, and questioned the call. 30/15. Lucie, stretched wide, netted a backhand. 40/15 (SP #1). Williams went for an ace down the middle, but it was just wide. Second serve out wide: right in the zone for Lucie to hit an off-forehand return-winner. 40/30 (SP #2). Ace out wide: 117 mph, right in the corner. Williams won the second set 6-2 at 13:17 CEST (second set 31m; match so far 1h30m net, 17h18m gross).
Well, at least Lucie was hitting the ball better in that game (particularly 15/0 and 40/15), and that's a good sign going into the third set.
Mark Petchey: "To be fair, when she was allowed to do something with the ball, she did it very effectively, but Williams really did a great job there of nullifying anything that Šafárová could do in that second set."
Lucie took a bathroom-break, then sexily drank some cloudy liquid from a large bottle.
ŠAFÁROVÁ * * * * * 5 WILLIAMS * * * * *@* 7
Lucie serving 0-0: Williams crosscourt forehand winner. 0/15. Williams on the fourth stroke netted a forehand. 15/15. First serve down the middle + crosscourt forehand winner. 30/15. Williams forehand long. 40/15. First serve out wide + crosscourt forehand winner.
Much, much better by Lucie than in the second set - a couple of those brilliant one-two punches set up by that swinging lefty serve.
Williams serving 0-1: Williams went to the net and hit a backhand drive-volley winner down the line. 15/0. Lucie hit a stinging crosscourt forehand, and a stinging crosscourt forehand winner back behind Williams. 15/15. Williams hit a deep forehand just inside the baseline, forcing Lucie to hit a backhand wide. 30/15. Second serve: backhand return just long. 40/15. Serve out wide + forehand winner down the line.
Lucie serving 1-1: First serve out wide - right in the corner - forced Williams to hit a forehand return halfway up the net. 15/0. Venus went to the net and hit a forehand drop-volley winner. 15/15. Williams went to the net and hit a crosscourt forehand smash-winner. 15/30. Lucie hit a scorching backhand winner down the line. 30/30. Lucie forced a short ball, and dispatched it with a crosscourt forehand winner. 40/30. First serve out wide; Williams hit a short-angled crosscourt backhand return, and Lucie slid outside the tramlines to hit a pinpoint forehand winner down the line!
It's great to see Lucie hitting the ball much better than in the second set. She's now hitting it like I saw in 2007.
Sam Smith: "Tell you what, though: Šafárová getting the ball through the court. Stays very low, doesn't she?"
Mark Petchey: "I haven't watched too much of her recently, but I have to say that she has got some sweet timing of a tennis-ball. It's cold, it's damp - it's not an easy day to generate pace."
Sam Smith: "Just watching Šafárová, particularly with that last shot out wide, and the great timing: just say who would do well, actually, to have a little look at Lucie Šafárová, is someone like Laura Robson: the junior Wimbledon-champion from last year: really talented, only 15. She's also a left-hander, and actually hooks her forehand a little like Šafárová. I think it would be quite a good learning-experience for Robson just to look how Šafárová manages herself around the court and uses her left-handedness so well."
[Re. Lucie's winner on the latest point] "That's a shot, actually, I saw Robson play last year in the junior Wimbledon-final.
"That's a nice view of Šafárová: she really has done some strength-training. I didn't realise she was 5'9" (1.77m) - she looks smaller than that."
Williams serving 1-2: Ace down the middle. 15/0. Lucie netted a backhand off a deep ball from Williams. 30/0. Ace down the middle caught the outside edge of the centre-line. 40/0. Lucie's forehand was called long but overruled, so they had to replay the point. Williams netted a forehand. 40/15. Lucie stood in to receive a deep, hard first serve, forcing herself to take a forehand return early and hit it long.
Lucie serving 2-2: Williams forehand long. 15/0. Second serve: off-forehand return just long. 30/0. Forehand return just long. 40/0. Williams crosscourt forehand just wide.
A hold to love, but four very narrow misses by Williams there!
Sam Smith: "Good player, Lucie Šafárová. I really feel, had it not been for those injuries last year, she would be pushing up again to that top twenty."
Mark Petchey: "Is she a top-ten player?"
Sam Smith: "I'm not sure... she's certainly quick enough, just whether she's strong enough physically."
Williams serving 2-3: Ace down the middle: right in the corner. 15/0. Williams off-forehand winner. 30/0. Williams off-forehand winner in the corner. 40/0. First serve out wide: Lucie whipped an early backhand return to a short crosscourt angle, forcing Williams to hit a backhand long. 40/15. First serve: Lucie hit a backhand return deep down the middle: just inside the baseline, forcing Williams to backstep and net a backhand. 40/30. Williams went to the net and hit an off-forehand volley-winner.
Mark Petchey: "I know there's better players out there than Šafárová, but in terms of just her hand-skills on a tennis-court, she certainly would be in my top ten."
Sam Smith: "Well, she's really standing up and meeting these serves, isn't she? Getting right up on that baseline, which is not easy when they're coming down at you like this."
Lucie serving 3-3: Lucie hit a deep forehand onto the baseline, and a deep off-forehand just inside the baseline, forcing Williams to lunge wide and hit a forehand just long. 15/0. Williams crosscourt forehand return + pinpoint forehand winner down the line (flirted with the top of the net). 15/15. Lucie hit a backhand just long, and slapped the dead ball into the net in frustration. 15/30. Williams netted a backhand return. 30/30. Lucie, on the third stroke, hit a short off-backhand just inside the sideline, forcing Williams to stretch wide and earth a one-handed backhand. 40/30. Lucie went for a backhand winner down the line, but sadly it was just wide. Deuce #1. Williams went to the net, but Lucie's backhand pass down the line forced her to net a backhand volley that was too wide for her. Ad Lucie. Williams hit a deep backhand return onto the baseline, forcing Lucie to net a backhand. Deuce #2. Double fault (second serve long). Sam Smith: "It's very intimidating, seeing Venus come forward into that baseline towards the service-line to return serve, and you know how aggressive she's going to be. It just got in the head there of Šafárová." Ad Williams (BP). She hit a forehand long, and screamed. Deuce #3. Lucie played a great spreading rally: on the 11th stroke, she hit a short-angled crosscourt backhand onto the sideline + backhand down the line + short-angled crosscourt forehand + forehand winner down the line on the 17th stroke. Ad Lucie. First serve out wide - just inside the sideline - drew a short-angled crosscourt backhand return; Lucie hit a very acute short-angled crosscourt forehand, pushing Williams outside the tramlines to hit a sliced backhand; Lucie's obvious shot would have been a crosscourt backhand winner into the open court, but she put it down the line instead, and Williams hit a crosscourt backhand just wide.
A very important hold for Lucie after all those deuces and saving break-point! Now all she has to do is break and hold, and she could be in the third round with one of the biggest wins of her career!
Mark Petchey: "The quality of tennis in the Sharapova v Petrova match was good, but I have to say: I think this is a couple of levels above that. This has been the best match of the championships so far."
Williams serving 3-4: Ace down the middle: on the centre-line. 15/0. Williams painted the sideline with a down-the-line forehand winner. 30/0. Second serve right into Lucie's forehand hitting-zone: she hit a big forehand return down Williams's backhand-sideline, forcing her to lunge wide and hit a defensive one-handed backhand wide. 30/15. Ace down the middle: on the centre-line, curling away from Lucie. 40/15. Lucie crosscourt backhand wide.
Lucie serving 4-4: Williams netted a backhand. 15/0. Wide serve out wide forced Williams to stretch wide and net a sliced backhand return. 30/0. Lucie hit a crunching crosscourt forehand winner just inside the sideline. 40/0. Williams hit a huge crosscourt forehand winner onto the sideline, but I'm a bit disappointed that Lucie left it, because she was right there. 40/15. Double fault (second serve into the net). 40/30. Second serve: Williams crosscourt backhand return long and wide.
A bit of a let-off for Lucie at 40/30 there - that was a huge point after the mistakes she made from 40/0.
Now break!
Williams serving 4-5: Lucie hit a searing short-angled crosscourt backhand winner. 0/15. Lucie hit another searing crosscourt backhand winner back behind Williams, and suddenly I'm very excited!! 0/30. Lucie hit a forehand winner onto the baseline that would have given her three match-points... had it not been just long. Aah - the agony! 15/30. Lucie's backhand clipped the netcord... and fell back on her side. 30/30. Williams netted a backhand, and I screamed "YES!!" 30/40 (Lucie MP #1). Williams saved it with a deep first serve down the middle + off-backhand winner into the corner. Deuce. A long, nailbiting rally - accompanied by the siren of an emergency-vehicle outside - ended with Williams's crosscourt backhand driving Lucie outside the tramlines, forcing her to bunt a forehand wide on the 22nd stroke. Sam Smith: "And there was just a moment in that rally where Šafárová had a quite a lot of court, and was a little cautious: she was scared to go down the line, which is understandable, 'cause she missed at 0/30 in this game. That's just Williams finding a whole new level right there." Ad Williams. A short second serve went unpunished, as Lucie hit a backhand return long.
An amazing game: the match-point was brilliantly saved by Williams, but Lucie was desperately unlucky not to get one of the next two points from 0/30.
My nerves are shot now.
Lucie serving 5-5: Second serve clipped the netcord... and caught the outside edge of the sideline - just a few millimetres shy of being a double fault. Williams hit a fierce off-backhand back behind Lucie, whose left foot slipped as she turned, forcing her to bunt a one-handed backhand lob wide. She knocked the clay out of her soles with her racket. 0/15. Lucie backhand just long. She questioned the call, which drew boos from the crowd (I'm not sure whether they were booing the call itself or her for questioning it - they've been very pro-Lucie so far); the umpire checked the mark and confirmed it. 0/30. Lucie netted a backhand. 0/40 (BP #1). Lucie hit a brilliant crosscourt backhand winner. 15/40 (BP #2). Lucie played a brilliant spreading rally: short-angled crosscourt forehand + deep crosscourt backhand onto the sideline, forcing Williams to hoist a short, defensive lob; Lucie let it bounce, then dispatched it with a high off-forehand winner into the open court. 30/40 (BP #3). Williams backhand long. Deuce. Lucie backhand just long. Ad Williams (BP #4). Williams broke with a backhand winner down the line.
Excellent recovery from 0/40 there, but oh, the agony!
Williams serving 6-5: First serve: Lucie netted a forehand return. 15/0. Lucie unforcedly netted a backhand. 30/0. Lucie netted a forehand, and her grunt has a third tone to it now. 40/0 (Williams MP #1). Williams let her first toss fall to the ground. She hit a deep, body-jamming first serve onto the service-line: Lucie's defensive backhand lob-return clipped the netcord... and fell back on her side. Williams won 6-7 (5/7) 6-2 7-5 at 14:15 CEST (third set 58m; match 2h28m net, 18h16m gross).
Lucie looked sad as she waved to the crowd.
My comment at www.lucie-safarova.com:
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What an amazing third set! Lucie's match-point was well saved by Williams, but Lucie had been desperately unlucky on the two points at 5-4* (30/0*)... but she's had greater wins than this would have been, and will definitely improve on her career-high #22 if she keeps up the good work and stays injury-free.
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Both players had positive W:UE ratios, but Williams's differential was much better at 41:22 (including a highly impressive 18:5 for the third set) to Lucie's 36:28 (including a highly impressive 19:10 for the first set, but a disappointing 5:8 for the second, and a much-improved 12:10 for the third).
Lucie got 56% of her first serves in, winning 72% of the points when she did so, and 46% on second serve. Her first-serve percentages for each set were directly proportional to how well she did in that set (she really let herself down by getting only 41% of first serves in in the second), while her second-serve winning-percentage improved from set to set.
The corresponding percentages for Williams were all slightly better: 61% of first serves in, winning 77% on first serve and 51% on second serve. She must have gone for bigger first serves after the first set, as her first-serves-in percentage dropped from 70% to 55% for the second and third combined, while her first-serve winning-percentage rose from 67% to 88%. In the third set, she upped her second-serve winning-percentage from 44% (for the first two sets combined) to 64%.
Williams had a bigger first serve than Lucie's: fastest 124-119 mph, average 111-100 mph. Lucie had the faster average second serve: 83-81 mph.
Williams served 10 aces (5 in the third set) and just one double fault, whereas Lucie served 2 aces and 5 double faults.
Williams converted 4 of 9 BPs (but only 1 of 5 in the third set), whereas Lucie only managed to convert 1 of 5 all match. She broke Williams only in the very first game of the match, while the only one of the 4 wasted BPs that would really have changed the outcome was the one at 5-4* (40/30*) in the third!
They had one break apiece in the first set (which had to be decided by a tiebreak), then Williams won the second by 2 breaks to 0, and the third by a single break - the game after saving match-point.
Both players did well at the net, Williams winning 13 of 17 points there (76%), Lucie 8 of 10 (80%), including a perfect 4 of 4 in the third set. Lucie should go to the net more often!
In points, Williams won 111-98 (first set 44-44, second set 27-20, third set 40-34).
THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.
Q. Talk about the match. It was obviously two days, tough opponent, very tight there in the third set.
VENUS WILLIAMS: Yeah, it was a well-played match. Yesterday I think I did too many things wrong. She just was firing for every shot and making them.
Obviously, with the delay, was a lot of things to think about beforehand - what I could do different - and just tried to be as aggressive as I could. The last two sets, you know, it was close. But these kind of matches are really rewarding, and she was playing well. But I felt like like I deserved it.
Q. When you have a break like that, do you try to stay in the match until it resumes, or try to put it out of your mind until you're close to back on the court?
VENUS WILLIAMS: I definitely think about it, but for the most part, you know, I analyse what I could could do better, and move on, and get ready for the next portion of the match.
I'm pretty good at compartmentalising. Is that the right word? Yes.
Q. You're very good at not doubting yourself when you get to the difficult moments like you faced today. Is that something you're able to do?
VENUS WILLIAMS: Yeah, either way I'm swinging and trying to play aggressive. You know, the more intense the match is, the more aggressive I think I get, and I think that's a good sign for me.
You know, I have a lot to work with my serve and return, and lots of good things. It gives me a chance to be confident.
Q. Last year, you played into the darkness, and it didn't come out so well. Last night, when the issue came up, were you pretty relieved that the match was halted?
VENUS WILLIAMS: I mean, I still wanted to continue, but it was a better decision not to. There just wasn't any way to finish that set. It was cloudy, so it was just going to be getting darker. So it was, you know, right for both of us to stop.
Q. Also, there was a story in L'Équipe about your sister's affinity for Paris, and the fact she's bought an apartment and so forth. It was said you actually prefer Rome a little bit to Paris. Can you tell us why?
VENUS WILLIAMS: It's a little warmer. I'm a Florida-girl, and from California, too. I'm used to the heat. I like to be warm.
Although when it's warm here, it's tough because there is no air-conditioning. So it's a little, you know, little tough.
Q. Is that it - the climate?
VENUS WILLIAMS: Yeah: I just like to be warm.
Q. What was your state of mind when you went to bed yesterday? And did you have a good night?
VENUS WILLIAMS: Yeah, I was very angry. I really wanted that tiebreaker. She just came up with shot after shot, you know, on the line, deep, hard, you know, the best shots she could hit. I wanted the tiebreaker. I was pretty upset.
But, you know, I wound down, and I had my little dog with me. We had some good times, and just eat dinner and watch a programme, and just get ready. You know, nothing I could do about that. Just get ready.
Q. Can you take us back to what you're thinking when you were serving there and faced a match-point? Are you thinking, "How did I get here," or, "How do I get out of it?" What's your thought there?
VENUS WILLIAMS: I wasn't thinking. Not at all. Just - I actually wasn't - probably just stick to my technique. Rely on that. Thankfully, I wasn't thinking. It just happened, so it was great.
Q. You said that after your first match, you were kind of a third-set specialist. Did you like what happened in this third set today? Because the fight obviously was very tough.
VENUS WILLIAMS: I mean, definitely used to getting a break, and running ahead and really solidifying it. But today it was very close. She served well, and didn't give me a lot of points. So, you know, it was just one of those matches that feels really good to win, because obviously the level of play was so high.
Obviously the third set, I feel like I have the advantage. But, you know, against someone playing so well, it's a challenge.
Q. We often think of you of working your way into these big tournaments. Can you gauge at this point sort of where your level is?
VENUS WILLIAMS: I feel very good. I feel very good. So far, I've played two players who really just brought out their 'A' game and were just attacking.
You know, I think it's a good strategy. To just to come through it is really good. I feel good. I'm serving good and moving well, and doing what it takes. I'll continue on that.
As far as a level, I mean, good or bad, I still know how to play tennis, so I don't give myself rankings. I just usually congratulate myself on doing something good, and correct the bad, and not dwell. Dwelling can kill you on the court.
Q. Speaking of suspended matches, have you ever had a doubles-match that that's been suspended so many days?
VENUS WILLIAMS: No. Imean, I've had a singles-match that suspended over a middle Sunday, and that wasn't fun. But, no. The scheduling has been a little bit strange, but we're working with it.
Q. That backhand winner you hit on the match-point against you, that was absolutely crushed. Are you saying that you didn't even think about the fact that it was a match-point? That you just played it? You were concentrating so much you played...
VENUS WILLIAMS: I don't even remember what I thought about on the serve and running up to that ball. I just hit it aggressively. I'm tall, so when I run up to balls, my arms get in the way. So I have to be careful about not getting too close.
When you're tall, you've got a different set of issues than if you're short or medium. So it's like, "Okay, don't get too close." When I get too close, I hit it wide. So just finding that balance and going for it.
Venus survives scare [Teletext 495->497]
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Venus scrapes past Czech [Teletext 497]
Third seed Venus Williams came back from the brink to defeat impressive Czech Lucie Šafárová in a compelling second-round tie at the French Open.
The American lost the opening set on a tiebreak 7/5 on Wednesday night before bad light stopped play, but returned on Thursday to take the second set 6-2.
Williams saved a match-point at 4-5, and then broke in the next game as she served out a thrilling decider 7-5.
Venus happy with win [Teletext 497]
Venus Williams believes she thrives in tense situations after her narrow victory over Lucie Šafárová.
The third seed had to save a match-point during her 6-7 (5/7) 6-2 7-5 win in the second round at the French Open.
The American said: "It was close, but these kind of matches are really rewarding. The more intense the match is, the more aggressive I think I get, and that's a good sign for me."
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Venus digs deep to make progress [CEEFAX 490->492]
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Third seed Venus Williams survived an epic battle with world number 46 Lucie Šafárová, fighting back from a set down to reach the French Open third round.
The 22-year-old Czech won the first set before play stopped late on Wednesday.
Williams fought back strongly to level when the match resumed, but had to save a match-point at 4-5 in the decider on her way to a 6-7 (5/7) 6-2 7-5 victory.
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Delay helped me win, says Venus [CEEFAX 490->492]
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Venus relieved to make progress [CEEFAX 492]
Venus Williams felt she benefited from having to wait overnight to finish her match with Lucie Šafárová.
Šafárová won the first set before play ended on Wednesday, but Venus hit back on Thursday morning, saving a match-point as she won 6-7 (5/7) 6-2 7-5.
Venus said: "She was going for every shot and making them, but the delay gave me time to think about things.
"It was close, but these kind of matches are really rewarding, and I think I deserved to win it in the end."
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Venus survives
By Matthew Cronin (www.rolandgarros.com)
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Five-time Wimbledon-champion Venus Williams may be known for her high-octane offence, but it was her steely defence that pulled her through in a remarkable 6-7(2) 6-2 7-5 victory over Czech Lucie Šafárová on Thursday.
Down 4-5 in the final set of a match that had been suspended for darkness the previous evening, Williams fought off a match-point with a clean backhand winner down the line, and from there, put up a wall from the baseline.
While Williams can rip the ball off both wings, and owns the world's hardest women's serve, Šafárová matched her firepower inside the baseline, frequently wrong-footing her with forehand blasts, and stepping gamely into her two-handed backhand.
Despite her advancing age compared with many on the WTA Tour, and her relative dislike of clay, Williams is still a fleet mover, and ran sideline-to-sideline chasing down her foe's blasts until she finally found an opening.
She broke the lefty Czech to lead 6-5 with another edition of her money-shot - a backhand down the line - and then coolly held on by playing consistent tennis to take the contest when a Šafárová-backhand hit the netcord and fell backward.
Williams - a 2002 Roland Garros finalist - is not one of the hot favourites here, but cannot be counted out of a maiden title-run. While the third seed has not won a Major off grass since 2001 - when she went own her second consecutive US Open - she is a smart, experienced player, who would love to add the Roland Garros title to her resumé. She will face talented Hungarian Ágnes Szávay in the next round.
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Venus wins as Bartoli makes excuses at French Open (AFP)
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Venus Williams made a great escape into the French Open last 32 on Thursday, while 13th seeded Frenchwoman Marion Bartoli merely made an exhausting list of excuses for her second-round defeat.
Williams - the American third seed, who was runner-up to sister Serena in 2002, but had exited at the third round in the last two years - saved a match-point in her 6-7 (5/7) 6-2 7-5 win over the Czech Republic's Lucie Šafárová.
The Wimbledon-champion had been trailing by a set when the players had been called off court late on Wednesday, but she quickly levelled the tie on the resumption.
Šafárová then failed to convert a match-point on her own serve when 5-4 ahead in the decider, and Williams made her pay by breaking the Czech before going on to set-up a third round clash with Hungary's Ágnes Szávay.
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Federer and Venus avoid Paris-nightmares (Reuters)
By Pritha Sarkar (editing by Sonia Oxley)
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* Venus saves match-point to go through.
Roger Federer was lucky to keep alive his dream of winning a maiden Roland Garros crown, and Venus Williams used a good night's sleep to spare herself from a French Open nightmare in the second round on Thursday.
"I was not afraid to die, so everything was okay. It was sort of a fun match to be part of, with so many ups and downs. I could have won the first three sets. Could have lost them also. [So] I'm thrilled to be through," Federer told reporters.
It was a sentiment shared by Williams.
The third seed's second-round tussle was suspended on Wednesday due to bad light after she had lost the first set. She returned to save a match-point before crawling over the finishing-line with a 6-7 6-2 7-5 win over Czech Lucie Šafárová.
"I was very angry. I really wanted that tiebreaker. She just came up with shot after shot: on the line, deep, hard, you know: the best shots she could hit," said Williams. "I was pretty upset. But I wound down... [and today] I felt very good."
While Jankovic has sliced through the draw, the Williams-sisters have given the fans value for money.
Two days after Serena needed nine match-points to huff and puff into round two, Venus saved one against Šafárová.
Šafárová - no stranger to upsets having beaten then-holder Amélie Mauresmo at the 2007 Australian Open - looked to have one foot in the next round at match-point at 5-4 in the third.
But the American threw everything in her arsenal on the next point, and stayed alive with a thumping forehand winner.
Two games later, the seven-times Major champion streaked ahead to serve out the match to love.
French number-one Marion Bartoli - the 13th seed - slumped to a 6-3 7-5 defeat by Italy's Tathiana Garbin.
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Scare for Venus at French Open (AFP)
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Venus Williams of the United States saved a match-point before defeating Lucie Šafárová of the Czech Republic 6-7 (5/7) 6-2 7-5 in the French Open second round on Thursday.
The third seed had been trailing by a set when the players had been called off court late on Wednesday, and she had looked in trouble against Šafárová, whose favourite surface is clay.
But the former world No.1, who bounced back to form last year with a tremendous win at Wimbledon, looked more at ease on the restart, with better light and less windy conditions favouring her.
She levelled the match comfortably enough in the second set, before Šafárová upped her game once again in the decider.
The Czech Fed Cup player had Williams defending desperately, but failed to convert a match-point on Williams's serve when 5-4 ahead.
Williams then grabbed the initiative by breaking Šafárová in the following game, and duly served out for the win.
"She was just firing for every shot and making them, but the delay gave me time to think about things differently," she said.
"It was close, but these kind of matches are really rewarding, and I think I deserved to win it in the end."
Williams will play Ágnes Szávay of Hungary for a place in the last 16 for the first time since 2006.
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Composed Venus saves match-point to advance (Reuters)
By Julien Pretot (Editing by Pritha Sarkar)
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* Venus saves match-point en route to third round.
* Dwelling on court can kill you, she says.
Venus Williams never doubted for a moment her ability to ride out a crisis, as she fought back from match-point down to beat Czech Lucie Šafárová 6-7 6-2 7-5 in the second round of the French Open on Thursday.
The contest was interrupted by dusk at the end of the first set on Wednesday, and upon resumption, seven-times Major winner Williams bombarded her opponent with a series of winners to level the contest on Suzanne Lenglen Court.
"I was very angry. I really wanted that tiebreaker. She just came up with shot after shot: on the line, deep, hard," Williams told reporters.
"The best shots she could hit. I wanted the tiebreaker. I was pretty upset. I wound down [last night], and I had my little dog with me. We had some good times, and just ate dinner and watched a programme, and got ready [for today]."
After going a break up in the third set, Williams allowed Šafárová back into the match, and the Czech earned a match-point on the American's serve while leading 5-4.
Williams used a high-risk strategy to save it with a crushing backhand winner.
"I wasn't thinking. Not at all. Probably just stick to my technique. Rely on that. Thankfully, I wasn't thinking. It just happened, so it was great," said Williams.
"Dwelling can kill you on the court."
World number 46 Šafárová then crumbled under pressure.
Williams broke in the 11th game with a service-return winner, and then wrapped up the win on her first opportunity after 2h30m.
"It was just one of those matches that feels really good to win, because obviously the level of play was so high," said Williams, who will next face Hungarian 29th seed Ágnes Szávay.
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Saving match-point, Venus Williams wins at French (AP)
By Howard Fendrich: AP Tennis Writer
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One point from an early exit at the French Open, one point from another disappointing Major defeat, Venus Williams avoided focusing on any such negativity.
"I wasn't thinking," she said of that crucial moment. "Not at all."
The third-seeded Williams smacked a backhand to erase that match-point on Thursday, then completed a comeback against 46th-ranked Lucie Šafárová of the Czech Republic by taking the last three games of a 6-7(5) 6-2 7-5 victory in the second round at Roland Garros.
"Nothing but guts. Courage. Venus was suffering with a little knee-pain in her left knee," said Richard Williams, her father and coach. "Venus today just wouldn't give up. She kept coming and coming."
Both of his daughters moved into the third round on Thursday, although Serena had a much easier time than Venus, routing 133rd-ranked Virginia Ruano Pascual of Spain 6-2 6-0.
The clay of Roland Garros slows the sisters' powerful serves and groundstrokes, and Venus Williams has lost in the French Open's third round in three of the past four years. Her last Major tournament was even less successful: she was upset in the second round of the Australian Open in January.
Not that such setbacks stay with the older sister for long.
"I just usually congratulate myself on doing something good, and correct the bad, and not dwell," said Venus Williams: a seven-time Major champion. "Dwelling can kill you on the court."
Still, she did admit stewing a bit overnight. Her match against Šafárová was suspended because of darkness after she lost the first-set tiebreak on Wednesday.
"I was very angry," Williams said. "I really wanted that tiebreaker. She just came up with shot after shot, you know: on the line, deep, hard."
Šafárová - a one-time Major quarter-finalist - managed to do more of the same in Thursday's final set.
"It's a great effort to play with Venus like this," Šafárová said.
She might have less strength, less variety to her game and less experience, but she was able to hang in there, even finishing with a 29-19 edge in groundstroke-winners.
"She was playing well," Williams said, "but I felt like I deserved it."
A light rain was falling, and the crowd at Court Suzanne Lenglen was sparse and mostly silent for stretches. Until, that is, at 3-3 in the third set, when Šafárová double-faulted to hand Williams a break-point.
As the second serve missed the mark, one person's applause and yell of "Come on, Venus, baby! That's right!" pierced the air. It was Richard Williams's companion - instead of sitting in the players' guest box, they had chosen front-row spots along a sideline, near where Šafárová happened to be serving in that game.
Spectators responded by booing and whistling. And when Williams sailed a forehand long to waste that break-point, the no-longer-non-partisan fans roared their approval. They did the same after each of the next two points: Šafárová ended a 17-stroke rally with a forehand winner, then Williams missed a backhand.
With Williams trailing 4-5 and serving at 30/30, she dumped a backhand into the net to give Šafárová her match-point. But Williams hit a 104 mph serve that drew a short return, and she delivered a winning backhand. Two points later, it was 5-5.
"The match," Šafárová said, "was turning."
Williams broke to 6-5 with a backhand return-winner, then ended things by closing with a 114 mph service-winner.
"I have a lot to work with: with my serve and return, and lots of good things," Williams said. "It gives me a chance to be confident."
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Williams-Sisters Win as Second Round Wraps Up (www.sonyericssonwtatour.com)
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One had no trouble at all, while one had a fight on her hands, but in the end, both Williams-sisters made it through to the third round of the French Open on Thursday. The French themselves didn't have such a good day, however.
On Wednesday, darkness stopped play after Venus Williams lost the first set to Lucie Šafárová in a tiebreak. They resumed on Thursday, and while Williams - seeded No.5 - was able to even things up with an easy win in the second set, Šafárová stuck with her in the third, even holding a match-point leading 5-4; but the seven-time Major winner staved it off, and would eventually beat the Czech left-hander 6-7(5) 6-2 7-5.
"Yesterday, I think I did too many things wrong. She was just firing for every shot and making them," Williams said. "There was a lot to think about during the delay, and when I came back, I just tried to be as aggressive as I could. The last two sets were really close, and she was playing well. But these kinds of matches are really rewarding, and I felt like I deserved the win today."The Ticker (Kamakshi Tandon, TENNIS.com)
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Venus Willliams edges out Lucie Šafárová 6-7(5) 6-2 7-5, saving a match-point at 5-4 in the third set with a clean winner. "I don't even remember what I thought about on the serve and running up to that ball," said Williams. "I just hit it aggressively."
Williams lost the first set on Wednesday before play was suspended for darkness.
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