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Journalism of Courage
The Williams sisters wrote another page in tennis history at Wimbledon today powering their way to their third Grand Slam final leaving their European opponents reeling in their wake.
Top seeded Venus defeated last year’s runner-up Justine Henin, the Belgian sixth seed, 6-3, 6-2 in 77 minutes, and not to be outdone younger sister Serena slayed French ninth seed Amelie Mauresmo 6-2 6-1 in just 55 minutes.
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SISTER Vs SISTER
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Dark day for Serena’s shady shadow
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| London: A man accused of stalking Wimbledon semi-finalist Serena Williams was ordered on Thursday to stay out of trouble for 12 months after he smashed a police camera near the championship venue, a court official said. Albrecht Stromeyer, 34, from Frankfurt appeared before Wimbledon Magistrates Court where he was bound over to keep the peace. The ruling means the German student must stay out of trouble for a year or pay a 300 pounds ($457.7) fine. Williams and fellow American players were already at the centre of a security alert amid fears of terrorist action during the July 4 US Independence Day celebrations. Police said Stromeyer was arrested on Wednesday for causing criminal damage and for breach of the peace while cycling close to the All England Club, the South London home of the Wimbledon tournament. “He was on a pedal cycle when officers asked him to stop, he refused and crashed into police, damaging a Polaroid camera,” a Scotland Yard spokesman said on Thursday. Stromeyer was extradited from Italy in May to face charges of stalking Williams, the world number two female tennis player. He was arrested after being stopped by security guards near the entrance to the Italian Open tournament at Rome’s Foro Italico. (Reuters) |
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The duo are now set for the first Wimbledon final between sisters since the inaugural championships in 1884 when Maud Watson beat sister Lilian – after also meeting in the finals of the French Open and the US Open.
Serena, the second seed, also overtakes Venus as world number one in next week’s WTA rankings as a result of the semi-final win. “It’s been a goal of mine, it really feels great,” said Serena of being the top women’s player in the world. “I’ve worked really hard, I deserve this.”
Serena said that her mother oracene had not told her until after the match that a German fan who has been stalking her at championships across Europe has turned up in Wimbledon, adding that she tried not to let that bother her.
“I’m very excited about saturday,” said Serena. “The past three Grand Slams I’ve competed in I’ve been in the final of all three. That’s not bad. I really want to be a member of the all England club.”
But first she has to get past venus, who wants to take a third title here and is aware of the history that is being created.
“I think it’s good for serena and I more than anything else,” admitted 22-year-old Venus. “It’s just something that’s been unprecedented, never seen before. We make the headlines and the cover stories, all the news, because it’s Serena and I, it’s something that’s never happened.”
Both Henin and Mauresmo were unable to match their power with both saying that they felt the sister’s dominance was damaging the game, by making it boring for spectators.
Henin was unable to build on an early 2-0 lead in her match with the American taking 18 minutes to get onto the scoreboard, but then blasted her opponent off court.
Henin, runner-up to Venus in last year’s final, admitted that the sisters were now in a league of their own. “There isn’t any comparison of last year’s match with today, she was simply too strong, she was in my opinion untouchable,” admitted Henin.
Meanwhile, Belgium’s Xavier Malisse, the 27th seed, put an end to Dutchman Richard Krajicek’s magical run when he won their quarter-final clash 6-1 4-6 6-2 3-6 9-7 today. Malisse now faces Argentina’s David Nalbandian tomorrow for a place in the final.
Nalbandian, the 28th seed, defeated Ecuador’s Nicolas Lapentti, the 22nd seed, 6-4, 6-4, 4-6, 4-6, 6-4 today to reach the semis.
