U.S. OPEN 1999: THE SISTERLY SEMIS : CROWDS CAUGHT UP IN STORY.Byline: George Vecsey George Vecsey is a non-fiction author and sports columnist for The New York Times. He is the older brother of New York Post sports columnist Peter Vecsey and the father of former Baltimore Sun sports columnist Laura Vecsey. The New York New York, state, United States New York, Middle Atlantic state of the United States. It is bordered by Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and the Atlantic Ocean (E), New Jersey and Pennsylvania (S), Lakes Erie and Ontario and the Canadian province of Times They will practice together this morning because they are sisters. They might even practice together Saturday if they should become opponents. ``I don't know Don't know (DK, DKed) "Don't know the trade." A Street expression used whenever one party lacks knowledge of a trade or receives conflicting instructions from the other party. ,'' Serena Williams Serena Jameka Williams, (born September 26, 1981) is an American former World No. 1 ranked female tennis player who has won eight Grand Slam singles titles and an Olympic gold medal in women's doubles.[1]. said. ``We haven't got there yet.'' In certain parts of the world - that is, the planet inhabited by Richard Williams - the two sisters are fully expected to be opponents Saturday. He predicted it before this U.S. Open The term U.S. Open is applied to "open" United States national championships in a particular sport, in which anybody, amateur or professional, American or non-American may compete. These include:
``My dad, he's playing the best,'' Serena said Thursday. ``He's really playing well.'' ``Uh-huh,'' added Venus, sitting next to her sister at a press conference, maybe putting us on with deadpan humor, or maybe not. ``Hitting the ball, also,'' Serena said. ``He is,'' Venus concluded. They are all having a terrific tournament, the father in prognostication, the sisters in performance. The sisters are also responsible for wholesale shifts of humankind across the grounds of the National Tennis Center. There was a wholesale exodus from the already yawning Arthur Ashe Stadium Arthur Ashe Stadium, located in Flushing Meadows Park, is the main tennis stadium of the U.S. Open, the last of each year's four Grand Slam tournaments. The stadium is also where the annual Arthur Ashe Kids Day takes place. Thursday to Louis Armstrong Stadium Louis Armstrong Stadium is the second tennis stadium of the U.S. Open, the last of each year's four Grand Slam tournaments. It is located at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Flushing, in the New York City borough of Queens. , suddenly two-thirds full and vibrant with more than 6,000 fans, eager to see the Williamses play Monica Seles and Mary Joe Fernandez Joe Fernandez (born October 25, 1984 in Morgan Hill, California) is an American Football wide receiver, who is a National Football League free agent. He attended Fresno State. in doubles, a 6-3, 6-3 victory for the future. ``Well, it's a very competitive match,'' Serena said. ``Venus and I, Monica and Mary. We're all Americans, so it's an all-American matchup. I don't know anyone who wouldn't want to go out there and watch that matchup.'' Today, the Williamses will bring their energy to the main stadium. Serena will play Lindsay Davenport Lindsay Ann Davenport (born June 8 1976 in Palos Verdes, California) is a former World No. 1 American professional female tennis champion. She has won three Grand Slam singles tournaments: the 1998 U.S. Open, 1999 Wimbledon, and the 2000 Australian Open. and Venus will play Martina Hingis Martina Hingis (pronounced: hɪŋˈɡɪs) (born September 30, 1980 in Košice, Slovakia) is a former World No. 1 Swiss tennis player. after that. ``Well, we've played the players that we're playing before,'' Venus said. ``I've been in the semifinals of a Grand Slam grand slam n. 1. The winning of all the tricks during the play of one hand in bridge and other whist-derived card games. 2. Sports The winning of all the major or specified events, especially on a professional circuit. before. Serena has been in the semifinals of pretty large tournaments before. She's seen me in large matches before. We've been there.'' They are most certainly there. Venus, just turned 19, with her wide-receiver physique, and Serena, not quite 18, with her running back physique, both with acquired subtlety and generic positive energy, are making a whole generation of players look passe pas·sé adj. 1. No longer current or in fashion; out-of-date. 2. Past the prime; faded or aged. [French, past participle of passer, to pass, from Old French; see . Steffi Graf Noun 1. Steffi Graf - German tennis player who won seven women's singles titles at Wimbledon (born in 1969) Graf, Stephanie Graf , just 30, retired a couple of weeks ago. Jana Novotna, almost 31, will retire at the end of the year. Fernandez, just 28, was up a set against Venus, then slipped on a wet spot and lost in the fourth round. Seles, not yet 26, won the first set Wednesday night before Serena turned Seles' legs to rubber with her power and her placement. Afterward, Seles basically admitted she could not keep up with the heat her young opponent was packing. The Williamses, who seemed like lunar outsiders a year or two ago, now hear cheers from the whole spectrum of fans. ``Right now, this is what's happening,'' Venus said. ``People are running to be part of it.'' ``Jumping in,'' Serena said. ``Honestly, if you saw something good, wouldn't you want to be in it? I would,'' Venus said. ``I definitely would,'' Serena agreed. They finish each other's sentences as adeptly as they cover each others' backs in doubles. The wide-court game is part of the education of Venus and Serena Williams, who are using shots and strategies they did not command a year ago. ``Definitely getting the practice in,'' Venus said. ``But yet playing great doubles, working on your shots.'' According to their father, they are preparing for each other. It happened at the Lipton this spring, with Venus winning the third set. There is a school of thought that Serena is programmed to let her older sister win a Grand Slam tournament first, but I would pay to be present when somebody had the nerve to say that to the very determined face of Serena. AT A GLANCE Highlights of Thursday's play in the $14.5 million U.S. Open: Weather: Hazy and humid with late afternoon rain and a high of 83. Attendance: Day session: 18,265. Night session: 20,382. Total: 38,647. Results: Men's singles, quarterfinals: Cedric Pioline, the runner-up to Pete Sampras in 1993, came back from a set down to eliminate No. 5 Gustavo Kuerten. Pioline won three straight tiebreakers, including 16-14 in the third set, to overtake Kuerten. In the other quarterfinal, No. 7 Todd Martin beat Slava Dosedel in four sets, reaching the U.S. Open semifinals for the second time and the first since 1994. Martin and Pioline will meet in a semifinal Saturday. Schedule: Today: Women's semifinals featuring No. 1 Martina Hingis vs. No. 3 Venus Williams in a rematch of the 1997 championship and 1998 champion Lindsay Davenport vs. Serena Williams. Stat of the day: For the first time since 1980, three teen-agers advanced to the women's semifinals. This year, it's Hingis, Venus Williams and Serena Williams. Quote of the day: ``I'm just a little bit frustrated because I really played well.`` - Kuerten. CAPTION(S): box, 4 photos PHOTO (1 -- 2 -- color) Martina Hingis (1) vs. Venus Williams (3) Hingis leads 7-3 (3 -- 4 -- color) Lindsay Davenport (2) vs. Serena Williams (7) Williams leads 2-1 |
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