Venus still out of this world
NEW YORK - What's her hurry?
Venus Williams is shortchanging her fans. In her three starts at this US Open - all wins - she has spent 192 minutes on court, or 64 minutes per match. Take away those 90-second sitdowns on the changeovers and it's practically a passing glimpse of the long and lean Wimbledon champion.
A Polish reporter asked Venus how she liked playing in Poland. Reflecting on winning Warsaw in 2004, she said, "I never would have dreamed that people in Poland actually cared about what I do so much. So many big fans. I thought maybe my last name was 'Williamsowski.' "
Her 6-2, 6-1 victory yesterday at the Billie Jean King Center didn't last much longer than it takes to say "Williamsowski." Knocking 32 winners past Ukrainian Alona Bondarenko, Venus glided to the net for nine of them. The match lasted 56 minutes.
Paraguayan Rossana de los Rios endured for 59 minutes (6-0, 6-3), which was OK because de los Rios didn't have to pay her baby-sitter very much.
Aussie Samantha Stosur was the fans' friend, hanging around for 77 minutes (6-2, 6-3).
Not much hard labor for Venus. Yet. However, waiting to pounce in the fourth round is a Pole who will not be blowing kisses in Venus's direction or addressing her as "Miss Williamsowski": fast-rising 19-year-old Agnieszka Radwanska. Aggie, seeded No. 9, first gained notice by sabotaging Maria Sharapova in the third round a year ago. She was seeded No. 30 then.
Can you believe this is Venus Williams's 10th US Open?
"Well, wow, I got close to winning," she beamed, recalling that improbable and unprecedented 1997 debut. "A lot of great memories." She shook her head happily, the mass of black curls seeming a mini tidal wave.
She came in at No. 66, a 17-year-old, becoming the only non-seed to make the women's final - that one actually a kids' picnic involving prodigies. Martina Hingis, who won 6-0, 6-4, was a few days short of her 17th birthday.
But the most gripping match was Venus's semifinal decision over Romanian Irina Spirlea, hardly a quickie: 7-6 (7-5), 4-6, 7-6 (9-7), in 2 hours 42 minutes. Venus rescued two match points, and added to the tension by crashing into Spirlea on a changeover, shown again and again on TV.
Or was it the other way? Who bumped whom?
"Hey, 10 years later I'm still not talking," she said. "I think she took the blame."
Whatever, whoever, she was a presence for all time, a gangly 6 feet 2 inches. Faster than you can say "Williamsowski," she mesmerized the game where an introduction meant the most: New York.
One of her victims, Joannette Kruger, moaned, "She's inside our heads." They had never encountered a kid so threatening on a tennis court.
The truth was, Venus said with a laugh, "I didn't know much about tennis. I guess I had a little talent, and that helped. At that point, I just hit as hard as I could and went for everything. I remember the third round, Anke Huber, and I learned how to take some pace off the ball. That helped but I just didn't understand anything. So I was just playing, doing what I was taught. I didn't understand the strategy so much.
"I was young and didn't listen well. I'd like to think I'm wiser now. The Wimbledon win [her fifth Big W] helped me a lot to change my mentality, to realize not everything had to be perfect all the time. If I don't have a perfect practice, I know I can play, and don't really get upset about the whole tournament. I think that helps me relax and had a lot to do with playing well at Wimbledon."
Although she delighted the Beijing crowd by losing to the homer, Li Na, in the Olympics, she said, "I'd much rather share that [doubles gold medal] triumph with my sister than anything else."
While Venus was talking, Little Sister was duplicating. Serena beat Japan's perky Ai Sugiyama, 6-2, 6-1. Same as Venus's score over Bondarenko. But Serena was a slowpoke, using 10 minutes more, 66.
Venus hasn't won the US Open since 2001, Serena since 2002. Unfortunately for them, the Sisters are on a collision course for a quarterfinal engagement, a rematch of their Wimbledon finale. Venus has the tougher assignment in Radwanska, while Serena will oppose France's Severine Bremond, ranked No. 121. 