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| July 3, 2002 | Wednesday | Rabi-us-Sani 21,1423 |
Heartache for Rusedski,Seles as Venus soars
LONDON, July 2: Venus Williams spent 47 sparkling quarter-final minutes skipping towards a third successive Wimbledon crown on Tuesday but Greg Rusedski suffered a heart-breaking half-hour at the grand slam he holds most dear.
With his nerve-jangling fourth round cliff-hanger against Xavier Malisse locked at two sets apiece, Britain’s Rusedski returned to Centre Court on Tuesday with his heart set on victory.
Boasting the fastest-recorded serve in the history of tennis his chances on the slick surface looked good. But, just when he needed his left-arm rocket launcher the most, it jammed.
Stranded on the most famous patch of grass in tennis without the linchpin of his game, Rusedski was disarmed and defenceless. He simply rolled over.
His painful defeat, the agony all too visible on the 28-year-old’s face as he congratulated Malisse at the end, leaves compatriot Tim Henman on a sole charge to become the first Briton in 66 years to win the men’s singles crown.
“Tennis comes down to just one or two chances. He took his and I didn’t take mine. These things happen,” Rusedski said afterwards.
“I thought I played the better tennis over five sets but that is neither here nor there.
“Certainly it was a great opportunity and it is very disappointing, but I will just have to come back next year stronger and better.”
For Malisse, the victory is a breakthrough and a first quarter-final spot at a grand slam.
“Maybe I wasn’t expecting to get to the quarters, but you know I feel good on grass and every match is going better and better,” the 21-year-old said.
“Everything is going well. It was pressure. One set, everything or nothing, to get to the quarters.
“You know, everybody’s going to be tight (nervous). It’s I guess the one who handles it.”
Malisse will next face either wildcard Mark Philippoussis or former champion Richard Krajicek for a place in the semi-finals.
The pair were locked in battle on court one.
Few would bet against Venus Williams winning her third straight Wimbledon crown after the American cantered into the semi-finals without breaking stride, dismissing Russia’s Elena Likhovtseva 6-2 6-0.
The top seed’s victory was simplicity itself on a blustery Centre Court against an opponent who in four rounds had not lost a set in the championships.
Venus, though, proved an entirely different proposition to the Russian’s earlier opponents, the champion’s long limbs smiting the ball into all corners of the court with all her might.
Breaks in the sixth and eighth games won her the opener in 27 minutes as she went from strength to strength.
Under increasing pressure, the blonde Likhovtseva — thrashed by Venus in the third round here last year — began to go for too much on her shots and errors crept in.
Venus marched on in relentless fashion, tearing through the second set 6-0 after just 47 minutes of one-sided action.
The American skipped to the net before pirouetting and waving to the crowd.
“When it happens like it did today, it is very, very nice,” she said afterwards.
She will face her victim in last year’s final — Justine Henin — in the last four.
Henin beat fourth seed Monica Seles for the first time in her career 7-5 7-6 to reach the semis.
Having lost their previous four match-ups, the Belgian fought tigerishly throughout the rain-interrupted Centre Court match to end nine-times grand slam winner Seles’s chances of a first Wimbledon crown.
Third seed Jennifer Capriati finally finished her fourth round match against Eleni Daniilidou. The American had been tied a set apiece with the Greek when play was suspended on Monday due to poor light.
The Australian Open champion burst out of the blocks on Tuesday and rattled off the third set 6-1 to win 6-1 3-6 6-1 and set up a quarter-final meeting with France’s Amelie Mauresmo on Wednesday.
RESULTS:
Quarter-finals:
6-Justine Henin (Belgium) beat 4-Monica Seles (U.S.) 7-5 7-6 (7-4); 1-Venus Williams (U.S.) beat Elena Likhovtseva (Russia) 6-2 6-0
Fourth round
3-Jennifer Capriati (U.S.) beat Eleni Daniilidou (Greece) 6-1 3-6 6-1
MEN
Fourth round:
27-Xavier Malisse (Belgium) beat 23-Greg Rusedski (Britain) 3-6 6-3 3-6 6-3 6-4
MONDAY’S RESULTS
MEN’S (fourth round):
4-Tim Henman (Britain) beat Michel Kratochvil (Switzerland) 7-6 (7-5) 6-7 (2-7) 4-6 6-3 6-2
WOMEN (fourth round):
4-Monica Seles (U.S.) beat 20-Tamarine Tanasugarn (Thailand) 6-2 6-2; 9-Amelie Mauresmo (France) beat Laura Granville (U.S.) 6-2 6-2; 11-Daniela Hantuchova (Slovakia) beat 7-Jelena Dokic (Yugoslavia) 6-4 7-5; 6-Justine Henin (Belgium) beat 12-Elena Dementieva (Russia) 7-6 (7-4) 7-6 (7-5).—Reuters
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