Black Tennis Pros

I'm loving the Korean attire that Venus and Maria are wearing. Very regal and festive.

Venus had to work hard for her money as she rallied to beat Russia's World No. 29 Maria Kirilenko 6-3, 1-6, 6-4 and win the Korean Open on Sunday.

Williams, who hadn't lost a set this entire tournament heading into the final, was forced to work for her win for the first time at Olympic Park in Seoul, South Korea, in a game that lasted 140 minutes.

Venus took the first set 6-3 in overcast conditions, but the Wimbledon champion suffered an early break in the second as she struggled with her serve, chalking up 11 double faults as No. 4 Kirilenko raced on to win the set.

Light rain delayed the match by about an hour, and when it began, Williams wasted little time in breaking Kirilenko's serve in the opening game.

Serving for the match at 5-4 up in the third set, Williams went down 0-40, and rallied to force deuce. She took the championship when Kirilenko's return went just out of the sideline to Williams' left. Venus came back to take the trophy and her third win in three meetings against the Russian.

Take it to the bank Venus!!

American Venus Williams has moved into the finals of the Hansol Korea Open with a smack-down 6-2, 6-2 win over Flavia Pennetta of Italy.

Williams took the first set in 36 minutes, but her Italian opponent, the only unseeded player in the semi-finals, put some early pressure on the top seed.

Pennetta broke the Williams serve at the start of the match and had a chance to go up 2-0 up, leading 40-15 in the second game. But Williams came back with four straight points to break the Italian's serve.

Williams conceded the opening game of the second set, but promptly broke Pennetta's serve and did not look back.

Venus, serving as fast as 125 miles per hour, went on to take six of the last seven games to secure her berth in the final.

"My leg's not feeling great but it's getting better every day," Williams said. "I don't get to play in Seoul often, so I am trying my best. My goal all along has been to win the tournament."

The deflated Pennetta frequently shook her head and muttered to herself in disgust during the second set.

Venus's opponent in the final will be Maria Kirilenko of Russia who also, much to my surprise, victimized her semifinal opponent Eleni Daniliidou of Greece 7-5, 6-0. I thought that Daniilidou was on an unstoppable roll towards the final also. Oh well.

SEOUL, South Korea - Venus Williams reached the Korea Open semifinals today by beating Marta Domachowska of Poland 6-2, 6-3.

American Ahsha Rolle moved through the first round of the WTA Hansol Korea Open with ease against the new British No. 1, Anne Keothavong. Unfortunately the same was not to be in Round 2.

In the second round, fifth-seeded and defending Seoul champion Eleni Daniilidou of Greece was very effective against Rolle.

The world no. 37 Daniilidou served well with a 76% first serve percentage and simply outplayed Rolle overall for a 6-3, 6-2 win.

SEOUL, South Korea -- Venus Williams coasted into the Korea Open quarterfinals with a 6-2, 6-2 win over Thailand's Tamarine Tanasugarn on Thursday.

Despite wearing strapping on her right leg, the top-seeded Williams made short work of Tanasugarn on an overcast afternoon before heavy rain forced a suspension of play at Olympic Park with two second-round matches remaining.

"It was a good game," Williams said. "It was good to finish when we did, it was about to rain. The rain blowing in different directions made it difficult, but it was a good experience."
The Wimbledon champion played down any problems with her leg.

"From yesterday, my right calf hasn't been feeling great but I was able to play and it's fine," she said.

The Wimbledon champion will meet Marta Domachowska of Poland in Thursday's quarterfinals after defeating Severine Bremond of France 7-5, 6-2.

Source -- AP

Despite warm conditions at Seoul's Olympic Park tennis arena, Venus Williams barely broke a sweat as she used her powerful serve to dominate the match. Fellow American Abigail Spears, whose right arm was heavily strapped, failed to win a single point from Williams' first serve in the opening set.

Venus took just 70 minutes to dispatch of the qualifier, firing eight aces on her way to the 6-2, 6-3 opening-round win.

In the second set, Venus broke again in the opening game and held off a late rally from Spears to complete a comfortable win.

"In a competition where there are few Americans, I don't know why I played against one in the first game,'' Williams said. "I was happy with my serve as it got me through some difficult moments at break points."

Can you imagine how fast a Venus Williams serve travels?

She slammed a record 207 km/h serve in the first round of the U.S. Open earlier this month.
Now, we will experience her powerful game in Korea during the upcoming Korean Thanksgiving Holiday.

Ranked 9th in the world, Williams will visit Korea on the coming Saturday to participate in the Hansol Korea Open, the only pro-tennis championship in Korea, which begins from Sep. 24 in Seoul.

To ensure her best performance, she has cancelled all the other matches scheduled for this week. To clock her serves accurately, the Korea Tennis Association has recently purchased two speed guns from a U.S. sports gear maker for $10,000. Each of them will be set up on either end of the court to give real-time readings to the fans.

Experts point to her strong build and firm grip on the fundamentals. Venus Williams, standing 185cm and weighing 73kg, attributes the power to her repeated practice since her childhood. Her springy knees add even more momentum to her serve.

MBC tennis commentator Jeon Mi-rah explains, “She spends almost double the amount of time on serves than other players. Her first serves are successful in most cases. So, she can slam more powerful serves with more confidence.”

Korean star male tennis player Lee Hyung-tack recorded a 199.6km serve in the U.S. Open. Thus, she is more powerful than many male players.

Williams first visited Korea two years ago, along with Maria Sharapova of Russia, 20, to play a demonstration game. Her kindness has left an impressive image among her Korean fans. This time, she will participate in more “off-the-court” events to maintain this image for her adoring fans. In addition, Williams and eight other world-class players will play visit Korea.

Dunlop Korea will stage a pre-game event where a visiting fan who records the fastest serve will receive free racket, cap, and other souvenirs.

Source -- BBC World