PARIS, 2 June 2003 — A humble Russian teenager smashed the Williams sisters’ grand slam stranglehold yesterday, ousting Venus from the fourth round of the French Open. As Serena Williams sat stony-faced in the crowd, Vera Zvonareva played the match of her life to beat third seed Venus 2-6, 6-2, 6-4.
Defeat for the American rules out a fifth successive grand slam final between the siblings. Top seed and defending champion Serena had beaten Venus in the last four finals. The French crowd rose as one and saluted the 18-year-old as she clinched the stunning win after an hour and 58 minutes of center court drama.
Jennifer Capriati joined Venus Williams on the French Open scrap heap after she was beaten, like her fellow American, by a young Russian. Capriati was beaten in the fourth round 6-3, 4-6, 6-3 by Nadia Petrova. Seeded seventh this year, the 2001 champion was overpowered by 20-year-old Petrova on Court One in her earliest Grand Slam exit for three years.
Zvonareva had made her Grand Slam debut here last year and on that occasion was beaten by Serena in the fourth round. Yesterday’s victory was sweet revenge and, having said previously that her most memorable experience was losing to fellow Russian Nadia Petrova 6-0 6-0 aged eight-years-old, the teenager may now want to think again.
Serena earlier reached the last eight with a 7-5 6-3 victory over Ai Sugiyama of Japan and will next meet Amelie Mauresmo, the French fifth seed who beat Spain’s Magui Serna 6-1 6-2. One American who had no intention of being upstaged was Andre Agassi and the seasoned warrior marched straight into the quarterfinals with a performance of supreme confidence.
Yesterday, Flavio Saretta was his victim. The Brazilian had already ousted a former champion and world number one Yevgeny Kafelnikov. Agassi, though, is hewn from different stuff. With a boldness borne from 18 years at the pinnacle of the sport, Agassi dominated center court, sinking his opponent 6-2, 6-1, 7-5 in 103 minutes.
Kim Clijsters will also be feeling a lot more comfortable after a remarkable comeback in her fourth round match. The Belgian’s relief was palpable when she recovered from the shock of losing the opening set of her match with Magdalena Maleeva in which she did not win a game.
In truth, Clijsters’ 0-6, 6-2, 6-1 victory was largely down to her opponent’s utter capitulation and she will have to be more on the ball when she faces Conchita Martinez in the quarterfinals. Martinez advanced when sixth seed Lindsay Davenport retired from the match trailing 6-4, 2-0 with a right foot injury. On center court, as Saretta flailed on the big stage, Agassi did what he has been doing for the best part of two decades — he turned the screw until the youngster cracked. It did not take long. Unaccustomed to the pressure Agassi was piling on him, the 22-year-old’s shots fell apart. What was happening on the court became little more than a side issue. The match was won, and lost, in Saretta’s head.
He next faces either Guillermo Coria or Mariano Zabaleta. Birthday girl Justine Henin-Hardenne fought her way into the quarterfinals with a well-earned 6-3, 2-6, 6-2 win over Patty Schnyder.
Henin-Hardenne, a semifinalist here in 2001, will next face eighth seed Chanda Rubin who beat Hungary’s Petra Mandula 4-6, 6-2, 7-5. The 1998 champion Carlos Moya advanced smoothly by beating Czech Jiri Novak 7-5, 6-3, 6-2 in some style.
He will meet Martin Verkerk of the Netherlands, who ousted 11th-seeded German Rainer Schuettler 6-3, 6-3, 7-5.
