Williams sisters reign supreme for another year

 

Originally published on: 26/02/10 11:38

Just hours after facing off in the singles final, Venus and Serena joined each other on the same side of the net to retain their doubles crown, beating Australian pair Sam Stosur and Rennae Stubbs 7-6(4) 6-4.

The No.4 seeds, who had obliterated top seeds Cara Black and Liezel Huber in the semi-finals, looked a little jaded after their earlier match but eventually found their rhythm to power past the Australian pair.

“There’s nothing like winning a title with your sister,” Serena, who lifted her second trophy of the day after beating Venus in the singles final. “It’s really a good feeling.”

“We’ve had a long day!” – Serena

Wimbledon champion Serena had given the Australians an early break in the third game of the first set when she netted a forehand. But a sisterly pep talk before the start of game five turned things around.

The Americans broke back in game eight to level and reached set point at 6-5, but couldn’t convert to set up a tie-break, which they dominated to take 7-4 and seal a one-set lead..

“They’re a really good team, so they definitely pushed us to play our best tennis on the most important points,” said Venus. “Even if you’re tired you ignore it, just keep the adrenaline going”.

The sisters did just that, producing a powerful display in the second set and sealing the crucial break in game seven, with Serena jumping in to rescue a shot Venus missed before volleying home the winner.

Fittingly, it was the women’s singles champion who sealed her second title on Independence Day with a powerful ace, to bring a beaming smile back to Venus’ face after her earlier disappointment.

But there was no way the pair would get to celebrate afterwards, national holiday or not. “We’ve had a long day,” said Serena. “We’re just still trying to figure out what we’re going to do!”

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