A Second Coming For Gutsy Williams
Sun Herald
Sunday January 30, 2005
FORMER world No.1 Serena Williams turned an injury situation on its head in dramatic fashion yesterday, overhauling the big game of Lindsay Davenport in a remarkable performance to earn her second Australian Open title, winning 2-6, 6-3, 6-0.
A match that looked to be over shortly after it began, when Williams was treated for a rib problem, was never the same after she came back, suddenly fighting fit and ready for battle. Williams broke for a 5-3 lead in the second set and won the last nine games to complete her American compatriot's dramatic collapse.Davenport, bidding for a fourth grand slam, was not a factor in the final set. Williams set up two match points with a 12th ace and finished with 31 winners on her way to her seventh grand slam crown."Lindsay had me on the run in the first set," said 23-year-old Williams. "I was going for a backhand and my back went out I'm not as young as I used to be. Eventually, I was able to come back."Williams thanked the crowd for support, but said she could "never hope to win 11 Australian Opens" as did Margaret Court, who presented the trophy on Rod Laver Arena.Davenport congratulated Williams, whose sisters Yetunde Price was murdered in 2003. "Serena's had a couple of rough years and she's come back like the champion she is," the Californian said. "She deserves applause for what she's gone through."Davenport won the first set in 35 minutes as Williams was treated for her injury. But upon her return, the younger Williams sister came alive. The one-hour, 29-minute victory was her first major since winning Wimbledon against sister Venus in July 2003.Last year, Davenport was considering retirement. But a sudden run of good form jerked her back to the reality that she was again competing as well as ever. Aged 28, she was the open's No.1 seed this year.Williams has given herself the task of trying to squeeze tennis into a career as a Hollywood wannabe and fashion designer. She even spent time in the run-up to the final going on a shopping expedition with her minders in search of shoes to use in a magazine shoot. The conservative Davenport, by contrast, was strictly business during the preceding day, existing on a more normal pre-match pattern of training, rest and mental preparation.But it was Williams's force of purpose that held sway, as she went from looking close to defaulting to dominating, saving six break points to take a 3-2 lead in the second set as her rebound gained pace.Yet Williams had begun the match in a style that barely hinted at the power she had shown throughout her career. With the seventh seed going down her first time at serve, the early momentum was clearly over to Davenport. After just 11 minutes on court under the closed roof of the Rod Laver Arena, on the the first day of real rain over the fortnight, Davenport raced to a 4-0 lead.The Williams game looked like briefly taking shape as she managed to finally hold serve, struggling into contention at 4-1 down with an ace.But immediately afterwards at the changeover, Williams called for the trainer, who stretched her back and abdomen.The American suffered a back injury at the end of last season and the Australian Open was her first event of 2005.Williams was soon laid out on her back on the sidelines, gripping her right side as the evaluation period ticked by.Moments later, Williams was taken off court for treatment with a sell-out crowd hoping that the match would continue.Davenport, who had sat Zen-like on her chair trying to maintain focus during the procedure, started the next game upon return to play with a nervous double fault.The second set proceeded on serve, with Williams looking stronger as she got deeper into the battle. She saved a break point in the fifth game with a backhand winner down the line as the decibel level began to approach Maria Sharapova-like levels.Then Davenport slumped to a pair of double faults to let a 40-0 lead go, losing serve as Williams reached 5-3 with a burst of energy. An eighth ace from Williams finished off the set to leave it all square at one apiece, deflating Davenport's challenge in the process.
© 2005 Sun Herald
