But only after Jennifer Capriati and Lindsay Davenport force the sisters to three games.
By Associated Press
Published July 2, 2003
WIMBLEDON, England - Up at the net after a stinging approach shot, Serena Williams waited for Jennifer Capriati's weak response to float down.
A simple putaway, right? Not quite. Williams shanked the overhead slam wide.
Nothing came easily for the defending Wimbledon champion or her sister, Venus, in the quarterfinals Tuesday. Serena lost the opening set against Capriati, and Venus also dropped a set for the first time this fortnight, against Lindsay Davenport.
But by straightening out their strokes and using the game's top serves, the sisters won, moving within one victory each of a sixth all-Williams Grand Slam final. On the other hand, Justine Henin-Hardenne and Kim Clijsters are within one victory of a second straight all-Belgian Grand Slam final.
"I've been in this position so many times," Serena said, "I have no nerves."
She beat No. 8 Capriati 2-6, 6-2, 6-3 in a tight match filled with dramatic points, right after 2000 and '01 champion Venus won the last five games, including the final 11 points, to oust No. 5 Davenport 6-2, 2-6, 6-1.
In the other quarterfinals, No. 2 Clijsters shrugged off a mid-match bee sting on her stomach to eliminate Silvia Farina Elia 5-7, 6-0, 6-1, while No. 3 Henin-Hardenne topped Svetlana Kuznetsova 6-2, 6-2.
On Thursday, Serena faces Henin-Hardenne, who ended the American's 33-match Slam winning streak en route to the French Open title. No. 4 Venus gets Clijsters, a semifinalist at all 11 tournaments she has played this year and now with a chance to replace Serena at No. 1 in the rankings.
"For Kim and for me," Henin-Hardenne said, "it's going to be difficult, for sure."
The match between Serena and Capriati was a thrilling duel of baseline rallies as they hammered the ball off both wings.
"Jennifer came out right off the bat, blowing everything away," Serena said. "I knew I had to raise my level if I wanted to stay in the competition."
The longest point, in the next-to-last game, went 31 strokes until Serena sent a crosscourt backhand wide with a shriek. Earlier, Serena won a 28-stroke point with a drop volley.
Capriati actually held a 13-7 edge in points of 10 or more strokes.
"I didn't win them all, but I definitely enjoyed it," Serena said, "because it gets me really focused for the big players, and I know what I'm up against."
Capriati said: "Matches like that, you wish you could play three out of five sets, like the guys, you know?"
That might give her a better chance against Serena, who's won their past eight encounters - seven in three sets. Here's how even it was: Both won 84 points.
Capriati claimed the first service break to go up 2-1 thanks to four unforced errors, and got another break for 5-2 when Serena missed two forehands. During that game, a Capriati supporter yelled, "Finish her!"
The three-time major champion did finish off that set to end Serena's 22-set winning streak at Wimbledon, where she beat her older sister in last year's final.
In the second set, Serena faced a break point at 2-2 but won the game with this string: 99 mph ace, 114 mph service winner, forehand winner. A game later, Serena finally converted a break point, on her sixth chance, by ripping a backhand winner down the line.
Serena broke to 2-0 in the third set, but Capriati never gave up and earned two break points in the last game. She wasted one by slapping a forehand return into the net, and a short return on the second allowed Serena to line up a crosscourt forehand winner.
"If she plays like she did today, and especially the way she served, it would be pretty hard for anyone to beat her," Capriati said.
That's been the case for some time now. Serena won four straight majors, beating Venus in each final, until losing to Henin-Hardenne at Roland Garros. That match left Serena in tears, in part because fans cheered her faults and because of what she considered poor sportsmanship by the Belgian.
Venus' earliest exit in two years at a major came with a fourth-round upset in Paris, but she's over an abdominal injury and swinging much better.
In beating 1999 champion Davenport for the sixth straight time, Venus conjured up 33 winners, including nine aces.
Davenport, 27, is edging closer to retirement, saying: "Time's running out."
FED CUP: Captain Billie Jean King announced that former University of Florida player Lisa Raymond, Monica Seles and Meghann Shaughnessy will join Venus Williams on the U.S. team that will face Italy in the quarterfinals July 19-20 in Washington D.C.
