Venus Williams Wins at Wimbledon
W I M B L E D O N, England, July 8 -- Venus Williams won the Wimbledonwomen's singles title for the second straight year today, surgingthrough the last set to defeat Belgium's Justine Henin 6-1, 3-6,6-0.
The final, which should have been staged on Saturday, had beendelayed a day because of rain. The second-seeded Williams breezed through the first set in 20minutes before Henin, 19, the first Belgian in a Wimbledon final,hit back with her powerful ground strokes to even the match. But Williams' power took control in the third set as she brokethree times, winning the title when Henin, under pressure on thebaseline, was unable to control her shot and fired it tamely wide. Unlike last year, when she celebrated with a victory leap,Williams was more reserved this time. "I couldn't leap because it was raining," she said. "I didn'twant to fall."
Split First Two Sets
Williams started the final with two double faults and didn't gether first serve in until the fifth point when she served an ace.But she won four points in a row to hold serve. Henin, who defeated Williams 6-1, 6-4 in their only previousmeeting on clay in Berlin in May, had two aces in a confident firstservice game. Williams captured five break points in the fourth game butHenin, powerful and accurate hitting from the baseline, saved four.Williams gained the break with a volley at the net to lead 3-1, andthen gained three set points with her powerful serves. The defending champion squandered the first when she fired abackhand wide but, when Henin sent up a lob under pressure,Williams clinched the set in 20 minutes with an easy smash. After a 15-minute rain delay, both players held before Williamsfired a backhand wide to hand two break points to the Belgian and,when the defending titleist netted another, Henin led 5-3. When Williams put another backhand out, Henin had two set pointsand, luring the American to the net, punched a backhand past her totake the set.
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