Tennis: One Williams sister down (Serena), one still going. But only just. In this most extraordinary of Australian Opens, during which every day has been punctuated by incident, Venus Williams, the favourite for the women's title, hobbled through her second-round match against her fellow American Kristina Brandi, winning 6-3, 6-4 and then announced that she was not certain if she would be in a fit state to play her third-round match tomorrow.
Williams the elder missed the 2000 Australian Open because of tendinitis, and has suffered on and off from the condition ever since.
Her hugely long legs and arms, which enable her to cover the court and return so supremely well, driving her opponents to despair with her ability to retrieve seeming winners and return them with interest, are under constant stress, and just before her match against Brandi, so she said, trouble with her left knee flared up again.
"If I had been playing a top player my chances would have been very slim," said the Wimbledon and US Open champion, and number two seed. "I was quite nervous just about my ability to compete and if I had talked to my dad he would have probably talked me out of playing. But I didn't tell my mum. I did a sneaky thing." Richard Williams, her father and coach, is in the US and his daughter will talk to him again before her next match.
She appeared in considerable trouble, obviously limping, and on occasions virtually serving off one leg. Her younger sister pulled out of the tournament on Monday before play had started with an ankle injury.
Switzerland's Martina Hingis, the beaten finalist for the past two years, and the champion from 1997-'99, must now be beginning to really fancy her chances.
Once again, and only too aware of her lack of height and power, Hingis has been working hard on building strength which was all to much for Germany's Greta Arn, playing in only her sixth grand slam, whom Hingis defeated 6-1, 6-1 to reach the last 32.
Monica Seles (28) cruised through beating Zimbabwe's Cara Black 6-1, 6-1 and now plays Italy's Francesca Schiavone in the third round.
