NO. 2 WILLIAMS BEATS `REVOLUTIONARY' SELES.

Byline: Ramona Shelburne Staff Writer

It wasn't so long ago when Monica Seles was making a profound impact on the tennis world. Back then, even Venus Williams was taking notice.

Seles, once the youngest No. 1 player ever at 17 in 1991, might not have walked away the winner Friday in the WTA Championships. But she gave Williams, the world's second-ranked player, all she could handle before falling 7-5, 6-4 in front of an estimated 4,500 at Staples Center.

``(On Friday) she showed everybody she's a force to be reckoned with,'' said Williams, who, makes up one half of tennis' newest chart-toppers with her sister, Serena, the other half at No. 1 in the world. ``She was my favorite player (growing up), I was always rooting for her. Of course, when we play now, Im rooting for me. She was a revolutionary.''

Williams, who had defeated Seles in eight of their previous nine meetings, was at times artful with deft angled volleys and devastating 120 mph serves. Other times she was sloppy, evidenced by her 38 unforced errors.

Seles, the seventh-ranked player in the world at age 28, wore the steely-eyed visage of a veteran champion as she smashed crisp, low-angled groundstrokes and broke Williams' serve three times in the match.

But to defeat Williams, Seles had to be perfect and despite her brilliance, she was not. Seles' nine double faults and 22 unforced errors combined with Williams' 11 aces and 90 percent conversion on net approaches proved to be Seles' undoing.

With Seles threatening to break Williams serve and even the second set at 3-3, Williams' forehand hit the net and crawled over. Seles looked up to the rafters as if she knew she would need luck in addition to savvy to win.

After nine deuce points, Williams took the game and went up 4-2 in the second set. Seles was down, but not defeated yet as she broke Williams for the final time to even the set at 4-4. Williams then broke back on Seles' service game and closed out the match with a 108 mph serve Seles could not return.

``I have to work so hard to win a point on my serve,'' Seles said. ``You know you're not going to have that many chances to break her. She just comes up with the goods and puts the pressure on you with her serve and her movement. And that's why I think shes No. 2 and I'm (No. 7).''

Seles broke Williams to take a 3-1 lead in the first set. Williams had two unforced errors and two double faults in the game.

Williams, down 4-1, broke Seles to pull within 4-3 and came back from triple break point and four deuce points to even the set 4-4.

Williams took control of the set by breaking Seles after winning four consecutive points, accentuated by a perfect forehand volley to force triple-break point. Seles had a chance to come back in the final game of the first set as Williams committed two unforced errors and a double fault to give Seles a break point.

Williams responded with a decisive 109 mph ace down the middle Seles only was able to lunge at.

Seles missed a forehand volley into the net to bring the game back to deuce and Williams closed it out by putting away a crosscourt backhand at the net.

Williams advances to play fifth-seeded Kim Clijsters in the semifinals Sunday afternoon. Clijsters was a straight-set winner over fellow Belgian Justine Henin.

``It was a two-set match but it went almost two hours,'' Williams said. ``I think there were some great points for sure.''

The last time the two played, Seles defeated Williams and ended her winning streak at 24 matches in the quarterfinals of the Australian Open in January. That victory also ended Williams' bid for a third consecutive Grand Slam title (Wimbledon '01, U.S. Open '01).

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2 photos

Photo:

(1 -- color) Venus Williams returns a shot during her victory Friday over Monica Seles in the WTA Championships at Staples Center.

(2) Monica Seles grimaces as she blasts a shot during her loss to Venus Williams on Friday.

John Lazar/Staff Photographer