Venus entered center court Wednesday night to prove once again, she is a force to be reckoned with. Playing in the quarterfinals against No. 6 seed Monica Seles, Williams wowed fans with her undeniable strength that has earned her the No. 2 seed in the tournament. Her sister Serena holds the seed above her.
From the get-go, Williams controlled the match, swiping her racket at everything Seles served her. Seles held on to two games, mostly off of baseline rally winners and Williams’ errors. Venus, on the other hand, served up two aces and hit winners during 9 of her 10 net appearances. A commanding presence, along with plenty of crowd support, earned her the first set, 6-2.
Seles pulled herself together in the second set to prove there was still a glimmer of hope. Mixing up her shots, along with plenty of slice and topspin, Seles won three of the first six games. The two-time US Open champ would win on 64% of her first serves, and would commit significantly less unforced errors than in the first set.
However, Williams would break Seles to win the crucial seventh game, and a 120-mph service game would take her even farther.
Seles had a tough last game, serving at 3-5. Venus quickly won three consecutive points, and on match point, fired a fireball of a backhand that left Seles stunned. The new American idol took the match, 6-2, 6-3.
Williams goes on to the semi-finals where she meets France’s Amelie Mauresmo, who defeated Jennifer Capriati today, 4-6, 7-6(5), 6-3.