Posted on 04/05/2010 8:34:59 AM PDT by SmokingJoe
Venus Williams was down a set, 0-2 and love-30, when the restless crowd on the stadium court tried to will her to play better with a rousing ovation that only delayed the inevitable.
Nothing would work for Williams. Not her creaky soon-to-be 30-year-old knees. Not her cockeyed ground strokes. Even her normally trusty 120-m. p.h. serve betrayed her over and over.
And classy foe Kim Clijsters wasn't in the charitable mood she was in during the semifinals, when she nervously let Belgian countrywoman Justine Henin back into a match she had been dominating.
Despite the pro-American crowd's futile attempt to wake up Williams, Clijsters kept on the offensive during a 17-point run early in the second set en route to a 6-2, 6-1, 58-minute massacre Saturday afternoon for her second Sony Ericsson Open title, the last coming in 2005.
"Sometimes you hit a few bad shots, it's not as easy to reel it in and things start to go a little quicker," said Williams, who has been stuck on three Miami titles since 2001.
"It happens to the best of us. . . . Unfortunately, I was my own worst enemy today."
At one point, legendary tennis scribe Bud Collins cracked, "Venus is really in the red," referring to her dance-hall dress and her mounting deficit.
It was the worst beating ever absorbed by Williams in any of her 69 career finals over the last 15 years. Clijsters, who earned $700,000 US and will move from No. 16 into the top 10, is 6-6 against Williams, including four-straight wins through the last five years.
The lopsided match reminded many of last year's women's final on Key Biscayne, in which Venus's sister Serena hobbled around the court during an equally listless 6-3, 6-1 loss to unheralded Victoria Azarenka.
(Excerpt) Read more at theprovince.com ...
The title of the thread looked like Venus demolished Kim when in fact the opposite occured.
Yes. I just cut and pasted the entire title. I realized how it looked the moment I posted it. Shoulda put in some brackets or a full stop. Apologies.
The title aside, I would have to say that Venus’ days of being on top are probably over. She’s very injury prone and won’t be as good as her sister.
I’d really like to see Serena against either of these Belgian women in the next grand slams ( this time, with Serena controlling her infamous temper ).
Yup.
If it’s any comfort to you, I am busy bashing my head against the wall right now for that slip up.
Roddick beat Tomas Berdich (sp?) in the men's final. Berdich beat Federer in the semifinal and it was a great match!
Mulva????
oh...Dolores!!!!
You are right.
Punctuation wants to be your friend.
Could “she man” tennis FINALLY be near its end?
If Matt Dillon wore a dress.
I am properly ashamed of myself. I won’t even show my face in public for a week. :)
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