Looks Like Venus & Serena Williams May (Again) Take Center Court At The 2008 U.S. Open

Even as her baby sister prepared to play the night session against 29-year-old wild card Severine Bremond of France, ranked No. 121 in the world, tennis powerhouse Venus Williams tore through promising 19-year-old Agnieszka Radwanska of Poland, 6-1, 6-3, to further demonstrate how she's sailing again at 28.

Two years after falling to No. 46 in the world through a wrist injury and inactivity, Williams has spent Wimbledon and the U.S. Open this year winning all 11 matches and all 22 sets thus far. Maybe it's that scope of vanilla she's been seeing and their pending engagement. Love does has a way of doing that to you!

Radwanska, who like Williams has a younger sister among the top 150 players, tried showing her ranking in the second set. Ripping some fearless shots into the corners, she in turn dredged some impressive stuff out of Williams, in particular some swinging backhand volleys with high degrees of difficulty.

From 3-3, Williams dominated, breaking Radwanska's serve in the seventh game and then crushing shots to break at 15-40 in the ninth game, heightening a summer that has included a Wimbledon title and an Olympic doubles title.

Source

Venus And Serena Bounce Back For Olympic Gold

For the second time in two tries, Venus and Serena won the doubles gold, beating a team from Spain here Sunday at the Olympic tennis complex. They did the same thing eight years ago in Sydney. And they did it in similar fashion Sunday. Sunday's final was 6-2, 6-0 over Anabel Medina Garrigues and Virginia Ruano Pascual. The final in Sydney was 6-1, 6-1 over the Dutch team of Kristie Boogert and Miriam Oremans.

Breakfast At Wimbledon: Venus Beats Serena for 5th Wimbledon Championship

Venus From Her 2008 Win, With Lil Sis

What a great way to ease into the rest of the weekend; a cup of coffee, your favorite bowl of cereal and the decidedly gorgeous Williams sisters battling each other on center court of the Ladies Wimbledon Finals of tennis. OK. Call it gratuitous ogling at lovely ladies, that I can get away with because my wife is a tennis fan too. So this morning everyone is getting what they want, except Serena.

This is the 7th meeting of Serena and Venus in a Tennis Grand Slam Finals. Serena won in a straight two sets and it was no cake walk 7-5 and 6-4 respectively. Serena now holds the edge with six wins to Serena's one win in Slam Finals.

They both looked in top shape and together demolished Nathalie Dechy and Casey Dellacqua yesterday in the Wimbledon Ladies Semi Finals and will play the finals tonight. I always hate it when these two play as it of course brings back memories of my own Sibyl rivalries with my brothers. Like Serena I'm the youngest of three boys from Detroit and... oops sorry I digress into my own issues. I'll save this for my Wednesdays therapy session.

I love me some Serena in so many ways and tennis being one of them but I can't help rooting for Venus as she really hasn't been able to win in any other "majors" lately. But at age 28 Serena owns Wimbledon with five wins and if that's her thing, then Serena and the others need not step to the grass at Wimbledon.

VENUS AND SERENA ADVANCE TO WIMBLEDON QUARTER FINALS

Wimbledon has already lost its top-four seeded women's players, while the Williams sisters keep rolling toward another sibling final. Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal are also closing in on another title matchup.

Monday's fourth-round play at the All England Club produced more upsets at the top of the women's seedings, but also offered more convincing wins from the champions and title contenders.

The Williams sisters posted back-to-back victories on Court 2 — nicknamed the "Graveyard of Champions" for its history of upsets. They questioned why they weren't put on Centre Court or Court 1.

Defending champion and seventh-seeded Venus Williams beat Russian teenager Alisa Kleybanova 6-3, 6-4, while two-time winner and No. 6 Serena downed Bethanie Mattek — the only other American left in the men's or women's draw — 6-3, 6-3.

For more, visit the Associated Press.

Girls That Rock: Venus And Serena Work It On And Off The Court

(From Chris in Detroit)

Who do you think Rocks? Send us a name and we'll post the picture.

For Now, Black Tennis Powerhouse Venus Williams Just Wants Everyone To Weave Her Alone!

Six-time Grand Slam champion Venus Williams will be sidelined indefinitely, though she did not say why she will be out of action.

"I've just been having some issues that I need to resolve, so I'm working on that at the moment and I'm hoping to be back playing as soon as possible," Williams said Tuesday at the Bausch & Lomb Championships in Amelia Island, Fla. "I'm not going to get any further into it, but of course I love the sport." Williams said last week she was dealing with a medical issue when she announced her withdrawal from the Bausch & Lomb.

Are You Still Feeling The Marches, The Yelling And The Same Old Message From Our Black Leaders???

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ANOTHER WILLIAMS SISTER LOSES AT THE US OPEN? SAY IT AIN'T SO!

Venus Williams left the U.S. Open the same way Serena Williams did, undone by all those big shots off the racket of little Justine Henin.

In a riveting match filled with superb all-court play, Henin became only the second woman to beat both Williams sisters at the same Grand Slam tournament, reaching the final at Flushing Meadows with a 7-6 (2), 6-4 victory over Venus on Friday.

"I just went with my heart. I just kept fighting," Henin said. "I got a bit nervous, but finally I did it. I'm happy to get this one."

The No. 1-ranked Henin will face No. 4 Svetlana Kuznetsova on Saturday night in a title match featuring two past Open champions.

Henin eliminated Serena in the quarterfinals, and Venus said she wanted to right that wrong.

But it was the 5-foot-5, 125-pound Henin who worked every angle Friday, constructing points, sneaking to the net and repeatedly placing balls on the lines. She pounded serves at up to 117 mph, handled Williams' faster offerings, sometimes leaping to reach balls that bounced up near her shoulders.

Henin even came up with a second-set lob winner over the 6-1 Williams - a delivery that put a wide smile on the Belgian's face and left the American slumping her shoulders and hanging her head.

Henin had some trouble breathing early in the second set, and said afterward it was something that bothered her the past few days. By the end, however, Williams was the one who was physically spent, asking for a trainer to come out and check her pulse and temperature. Right after that, she hit some serves in the 70s while getting broken to trail 5-3 in the second set.

That's not to say the older Williams wasn't good at times, too.

She broke when Henin served for the first set at 5-4, ending a 10-stroke point with a backhand passing winner, and a 16-stroke exchange with a cross-court forehand winner on the line. In the next game, Williams won the point of the match on the 27th shot, a cross-court swinging forehand volley.

But Henin broke right back to end it. Appropriately, the final shot was a backhand by Williams that sailed out, her 35th unforced error - 13 more than Henin.

Wind swirled through Arthur Ashe Stadium, playing havoc with the ball, yet both women came up with all sorts of terrific shots and engaged in several long points filled with reflex volleys, great gets and clean winners on the run.

It was precisely what might be expected from a couple of players who each won six Grand Slam titles.

Henin is the one who gets to try for No. 7 on Saturday. She's into her third U.S. Open final since 2003 - she won the title that year and was the runner-up last year.

Venus & Serena Williams Lead An All-Star Black Women's Tribute To Tennis Icon Althea Gibson

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VENUS WINS WIMBLEDON ...... WITH A WHITE MAN BY HER SIDE!

Now that I have your attention ... scroll down and read the wonderful article one of my partners of this blog site wrote about Venus winning the singles championship at Wimbledon.

But note the picture of Venus hand in hand with the prematurely balding white guy. "Go ahead scroll down and come back to my article, I'll wait ....................................

All right did ya' see it? Did ya see them? Ya' think Venus' smile could have been any bigger? What's going on? Where are the comments? Where is the outrage? No one has made one comment!!! We don't have one, "What? She couldn't find a brother to get with?" No "What, Black men aren't good enough for her?" No "See that's what happens when a sista' gets successful, she just forgets aaaaallllll about her people!!!"

I ain't crazy! 'cause WOMEN are still rolling their eyes at Tiger "I got my Swedish girl, right here" Woods. You women are still sucking your teeth over Tony Parker marrying Eva Longoria, especially after what was rumored to have been said, by her relatives about her Black fiance. In fact you gave no sympathy when you heard Eva's mother and grandmother, didn't care "how much money the Black boy makes. " What you women, you Black women did say was, "See, serves him right for 'crossing over.'"

Let's face it, in private or in your girl-girl circles, Black women see a "successful, high profile, doing his thang, celebrity 'Brotha'--- with a White (and now Latina ... ask Kobe Bryant) woman and that "White, Latina (also check Asian ... ala Wesley Snipes and Wayne Brady) and the woman's' first name instantly becomes 'conniving' and her last name rhymes with 'witch.'

So I'm here to say for the record -- Venus has never looked "faaahinner", her skin is like "Butter" and I'm sad she's not with a Brotha'. And I'm not letting Serena Williams off the hook 'cause I saw those beach pictures with her, and her first major beau. "Mega Film Director, Brett Ratner!" and I was pretty pissed then too.

So what we need is a Jack and Jill Social Club for the the celebrity challenged who can't seem to find other successful Black folks to hang out with, and go to spring dances.

Ya' got something to say? Let it fly!

ONE BAD BLACK SISTAH, VENUS WILLIAMS RULES WIMBLEDON

WIMBLEDON, England - Venus Williams won her fourth Wimbledon title Saturday, then basked in cheers on the court that always seems to inspire her best tennis.

The heavily favored Williams beat surprising finalist Marion Bartoli 6-4, 6-1 for her sixth Grand Slam title. She also won Wimbledon in 2000, 2001 and 2005.

At No. 31, Williams became the lowest-ranked women’s winner in Wimbledon history. Plagued in recent years by injuries that sent her ranking sliding, she rediscovered her championship form this week at the All England Club.

En route to the final she lost a total of 17 games while beating 2004 Wimbledon champion Maria Sharapova on Wednesday, 2004 U.S. Open champion Svetlana Kuznetsova on Thursday and French Open runner-up Ana Ivanovic on Friday.

Williams’ resurgence was reminiscent of the run to this year’s Australian Open title by her sister Serena, who entered that tournament ranked 81st.

Serena, eliminated by top-ranked Justine Henin in the Wimbledon quarterfinals, watched from the stands as Venus turned in a workmanlike performance punctuated by occasional brilliance. She chased down shots all over the court, and her varied shotmaking ranged from delicate slices to a fearsome backhand overhead slam.

While the tournament was plagued by rain for much of the past two weeks, the final took place right on schedule — and in warm sunshine, the best weather of the fortnight.

Williams served out the first game at love, then broke serve when Bartoli double-faulted. They played 19 minutes before Bartoli won a game to make it 3-1, prompting cheers of encouragement from a Centre Court crowd eager for a competitive match.

And it was — for a while. The Frenchwoman, playing in her first Grand Slam final, settled down to reach 3-all. But she double-faulted for the fourth time for set point, and Williams converted by charging forward to put away a backhand volley.

She kept up the pressure to start the second set, winning the first three games. Both players then requested medical timeouts — Bartoli to have her left foot retaped, and Williams to have her upper left thigh taped.

Following the 11-minute interruption, the 19th-ranked Bartoli held serve to close to 3-1. She had rallied from a set down in her past three matches, including a shocking win Friday over Henin.

But this time, there would be no comeback.

Williams hit a backhand winner to break serve for 5-1, and closed out the victory with a 124-mph service winner that handcuffed a weary Bartoli.

The crowd roared as Williams raised her arms, grinned and, after shaking hands with her opponent, let out with an exultant “Woooooo!”

With Wimbledon paying equal prize money to men and women for the first time this year, Williams won $1.407 million. Bartoli received $703,500. Williams has been among the most vocal proponents of equal prize money.

MSNBC

VENUS ADVANCES TO THE SEMI-FINALS AT WIMBLEDON

Venus Williams of the US reacts as she defeats Svetlana Kuznetsova of Russia, in their Women's Singles match on the Centre Court at Wimbledon, Thursday July 5, 2007.(AP Photo/Anja Niedringhaus)