Tennis-Wimbledon-Queen Venus hammers Slovak
( 2003-06-24 09:42) (Agencies)
Twice former champion Venus Williams looked every inch the Queen of Wimbledon
on Monday with her silver tiara-like hairband, dangling earrings and
necklace.
But she offered qualifier Stanislava Hrozenska no royal reprieve,
bludgeoning the hapless Slovak, ranked 194 in the world, 6-2 6-2 in 50
minutes.
The fourth seed strode assertively on to court two and banged down
three aces for her first three points of the match, swinging in serves at 185
kph.
But Williams also peppered her game with groundstroke errors and 10
double faults as she attempted to dispense with her 21-year-old opponent as
quickly as possible.
The 23-year-old four-times grand slam winner had little
to say about her performance afterwards, beyond the standard Wimbledon
platitudes of loving the grass and wanting to add to her two titles here, but
she became animated when asked about her dress.
"I wanted it to be really
eye-catching," the tall, elegant player said of the close-fitting outfit with
its flared skirt and laced back.
Williams, who has studied fashion, added she
had helped design the dress.
"I take 50 percent of the credit," she
smiled.
Venus has been eclipsed by younger sister Serena in the last year,
dropping to fourth in the world, sparking suggestions she might be tired of
tennis.
She lost in the fourth round of the French Open earlier this month
and has suffered from an abdominal muscle strain.
But her fierce serve,
pounding groundstrokes and easy movement did not appear affected on Monday,
though her waywardness suggested a lack of match sharpness.
"I have to not go
crazy, especially in practice, not overdo it," she said of her strain. "For sure
it affects your confidence.
But she added she felt she was playing
better.
"I always love grass. I'm having fun," she insisted.
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