Sisters Show No Mercy

NEW YORK — The tennis balls were often flat. The cracked court was not. This was a good thing, not a terrible hurdle, thought Oracene Williams, all those years ago, all those groundstrokes ago in Compton.

She knew it would make her daughters get down low and punish the ball, especially once the court was pristine and the balls lively.

“We weren’t born into wealth,” she said. “If all our balls weren’t the best of balls, to me, that’s what makes them stronger, make them better players.”

The quiet pride of a mother is something to behold on the eve of a Grand Slam final. But here we have something on an entirely different cultural and social level--the mother of both finalists, the first Grand Slam final between two African-Americans.

As they prepare to play each other tonight for the U.S. Open title, Venus and Serena Williams have made the final leap forward, straight out of Compton and right into Prime Time.

It is the first time since 1884 that sisters have played in a Grand Slam final. Maud Watson beat Lillian Watson in three sets at Wimbledon 117 years ago.

“I don’t think even they can appreciate what this means right now,” Oracene Williams said. “It’s like the real deal with [Muhammad] Ali. You don’t know the impact Ali made until it’s registered in the history books.”

Two years ago, it nearly happened in New York. Serena did her part in the U.S. Open semifinals but then, hours later, Venus fell short in a devastating loss to Martina Hingis of Switzerland. Serena went on to win her first and only Grand Slam title.

On this history-making afternoon, the sisters made the No. 1 player in the world (Hingis) and, arguably, the best player of 2001 (Jennifer Capriati) look average.

Serena, 19, was in devastating form against a flustered Hingis, winning, 6-3, 6-2, in 51 minutes. She did not miss a first serve in the second set.

Venus, 21, was next and had more of a scare, trailing, 1-4, in the first set, and seemed troubled by a virus and a chronic cough. The defending champion could be heard hacking loudly on changeovers.

But then Venus started giving a clinic on backhands down the line.

She won seven consecutive games and 11 of the final 13, defeating the second-seeded Capriati, 6-4, 6-2, in 1 hour 22 minutes. The first set lasted 52 minutes, longer than the match between Serena and Hingis. Venus had only three aces and double-faulted four times, but had 21 winners to four for Capriati.

“It’s sweet,” Venus said. “It’s sweet. Just real nice. Had a lot of blessings from God. And we’re happy that we’re healthy and we’re happy to be here.”

Serena, from the stands, watched Venus and was the star of the area outside the players’ lounge, meeting rapper Jay-Z and posing for photos with singer Brandy. She was thrilled to hang with Jay-Z, who looked over the statistic sheet with her.

“Tennis is a just a game and we’re entertainers,” Serena said. “People come to see us play and perform....They pay to see us perform and entertain. After that, we go home and Venus will always be my sister. We’re always going to be a family.”

The family ties have made previous matches difficult occasions for Venus and Serena, the younger sister who almost always loses. Serena has defeated Venus once in fivematches, at the Grand Slam Cup in 1999, shortly after her U.S. Open title.

“A lot of matches we played haven’t been considered championship, heroic matches,” Venus said. “I think [tonight] will be different.”

Their most recent meeting came at Wimbledon in the semifinals last year and the highly anticipated match fell flat, with Venus winning in straight sets.

Controversy followed in March at Indian Wells when Venus withdrew about five minutes before a scheduled semifinal against Serena because of a knee injury. Their image took a major hit.

Nearly everyone, from their mother to fans to the media, is hoping the sisters play up to their capabilities tonight.

“Since the beginning of the tournament, I thought it would be an awesome match,” said Serena’s mentor, Zina Garrison. “I just hope it puts to rest everybody saying that they don’t play well against each other. [Tonight] they’ll show everybody that they’re very competitive and they’ll be out there trying to win.”

Open officials were giddy once the final was set. The decision to stage the final in prime time, a first for women at this event, had apparently paid off.

“You name a prime-time final and you get Williams-Williams,” said Arlen Kantarian, chief executive of professional tennis for the USTA. “The stars have aligned, in the literal sense, I guess. And the figurative sense. “There are now 12 tickets available for tomorrow night, and the reason is we need only one players’ box,” he said.

And the winner?

Venus has three Grand Slam titles to Serena’s one, and is the defending champion. Venus has lost just once since Wimbledon and the same is true for Serena, who seems like a revitalized player after blowing six match points and losing to Monica Seles at Manhattan Beach last month.

Oracene, wisely, would not go there when asked.She did point out one fact: “Venus is a night person. It might be good for her. She’s usually up reading or sewing. She finds things to do. If they had a bookstore open at 1 in the morning, she’d go.”

They dreamed of tonight when Venus was nine years old and Serena was eight. In those days, it all came down to one point, one serve.

“They would play do-or-die, match point,” Oracene Williams remembered. “The first serve was do-or-die, you had to get it in. If not, you lose the match.” She was reminded Friday that the childhood games in Compton had worked to perfection. “That was on purpose,” she said.

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Head to Head

Venus Williams holds a 4-1 edge over her sister, Serena, in head-to-head competition on the pro tour:

1998 AUSTRALIAN OPEN

Second round: Venus defeated Serena, 7-6 (4), 6-1.

1998 ITALIAN OPEN

Quarterfinals: Venus defeated Serena, 6-4, 6-2.

1999 LIPTON

Final: Venus defeated Serena, 6-1, 4-6, 6-4.

1999 GRAND SLAM CUP

Final: Serena defeated Venus, 6-1, 3-6, 6-3.

2000 WIMBLEDON

Semifinals: Venus defeated Serena, 6-2, 7-6 (3).

Today’s Matches

Players, with seedings and country.TV: Channel 2, 9 a.m.

MEN’S SEMIFINALS

Yevgeny Kafelnikov (7, Russia) vs. Lleyton Hewitt (4, Australia).

Pete Sampras(10, United States) vs. Marat Safin (3, Russia).

WOMEN’S FINAL

Venus Williams (4, United States) vs. Serena Williams (10, United States), Channel 2, 5 p.m.

U.S. Open at a Glance

Highlights of Friday’s play in the $15.76 million U.S. Open tennis championships:

WEATHER: Sunny and beautiful. High temperature of 85.

ATTENDANCE: 21,976.

RESULTS: Women’s singles, semifinals--No. 10 Serena Williams beat No. 1 Martina Hingis, 6-3, 6-2, in 51 minutes. In the second match, No. 4 Venus Williams defeated No. 2 Jennifer Capriati, 6-4, 6-2, setting up the first sisters Grand Slam final since the first-ever Grand Slam final at Wimbledon in 1884 between Lillian and Maud Watson. Men’s doubles, championship--The Zimbabwean team of Wayne Black and Kevin Ullyett beat the American duo of Don Johnson and Jared Palmer, 7-6 (9), 2-6, 6-3.

STAT OF THE DAY: Pick almost any category from the Serena Williams-Hingis match. Winners--40-5, Williams. Aces--10-0, Williams. First-serve percentage--82-52, Williams. Points--61-33, Williams. First-serve winning percentage--81-48, Williams

QUOTE OF THE DAY: “Venus, are you going to play another set? I still got some film left.” --Richard Williams, to Venus, just before she left the court.