Williams sisters give US 4-1 Fed Cup semifinal win

Venus Williams took just 52 minutes to demolish Italy’s number one Silvia Farina 6-1 6-1 in the first reverse singles match, dominating with her ferocious service in a match delayed by rain.

Farina beat Seles 6-4 4-6 6-4 on Saturday and the world number five was forced to pull out with blisters on her hand and a tendon injury to an arm.

Serena Williams, who replaced Seles, stormed through her match against Rita Grande with a mirror 6-1 6-1 victory to gain a winning 3-1 lead.

Then in the dead-rubber doubles the sisters teamed up to brush aside Tathiana Garbin and Adriana Serra Zanetti 6-2 6-2.

“I very much respect Silvia, who I’ve played on several occasions but I had such a great desire to win the match after yesterday’s result,” Venus later said at a news conference.

Farina failed to make a mark in the second set, stumbling over backhand returns, usually her best stroke. “She was just too strong,” the Italian said.

Farina and Italian team captain Raffaela Reggi earned whistles from the crowd for holding up the first set at 4-1 for eight minutes over a line call. Unruffled, Venus went on to serve four aces and break Farina’s serve again for the set.

Serena, originally designated to play only doubles with her sister, had not played a singles match since losing in the third round in the French Open. “I was just so much better today I was out of control,” said Serena.

The Americans have won the Fed Cup 15 times. The final against Russia will be played on September 18-19 in either San Diego or Stanford, California.

PANOVA PROPS RUSSIA: In Moscow, Russian 22-year-old Tatiana Panova beat Slovakia’s Ludmila Cervanova 6-4 6-4 yesterday to put her team in the Fed Cup final.

Panova, ranked 69th in the world, downed Slovakia’s 19-year-old rookie, after Russian Yelena Likhovtseva had seen off Karina Habsudova 3-6 6-4 6-2 in yesterday’s first match, to give Russia a 3-1 lead.

Likhovtseva had opened with a 7-5 6-7 (5/7) 6-3 victory over Slovakia’s 19-year-old Ludmila Cervanova yesterday.

Habsudova levelled the semifinal at 1-1, overpowering Panova 7-6 (7/5) 6-1.

Russia rules out Anna

Moscow: Russian captain Konstantin Bogorodetsky ruled out adding Anna Kournikova to the team for September’s Fed Cup final against The United States.

“It would be completely insolent if she came to our team at this point,” the captain said when asked if he would include Kournikova, Russia’s top player who lives in the US.

“All our girls have done a tremendous job in reaching the final, and for someone to suggest that we should replace one of them with Kournikova now would be total injustice.”

Kournikova, 18, is ranked 13 in the world, but has refused to represent her native country for the last two years.

She had hinted in the Russian press recently that she would play if invited.