Sibling rivalry on the ultimate stage

N E W   Y O R K, Sept. 8, 2001 -- Richard Williams called it the "greatest day of my life."Oracene Williams, the under-the-radar mother of sisters Venus and SerenaWilliams, was a little less over the top.

Leaning against a wall under Arthur Ashe Stadium and wearing an "I LoveN.Y." T-shirt, Oracene seemed a bit weary.

"I'm relieved," she said. "Relieved that they both made it through."

Venus, 21, meets Serena, 20, in Saturday's prime-time women's U.S. Openfinal after they dispatched Jennifer Capriati and Martina Hingis, respectively, insemifinals matches on Friday. For the parents, it was the fulfillment ofyears of effort and sacrifice by all seven family members.

While the parents were still reeling from the emotion of the moment, according to Orcaene the sisters were considering a night out together. Entertaining the idea of an unorthodox training regimen?

Oracene said the girls will probably go out to dinner togetherFriday night. And while most competitors on the eve of an important contestwithdraw into the privacy of their rooms, the Williams sisters might trysomething completely different.

There is actually a possibility, Oracene said, that they could attend themuch-anticipated Michael Jackson concert at Madison Square Garden.

One Thriller, evidently, deserves another.

It's a family album that's been a long time in the making.

Venus talked about the time Richard made the sisters once hit tennisballs for seven hours straight. "We didn't want to be there," Venus said."But when you're little, those kinds of things happen."

And when you work hard and are blessed with the athletic gifts of theWilliams sisters, this kind of historic thing happens:

For only the second time in well over a century of Grand Slam history,two sisters will vie for a singles title. It was 117 years ago, in the firstmajor tournament ever, when sisters Lillian and Maud Watson met in the 1884Wimbledon final. Maud overcame a slow start and won 6-8, 6-3, 6-3.

Already, the sisters have a history here at the U.S. Open. Serena wonthe 1999 U.S. Open at the age of 17. Venus won the U.S. Open last year andhas collected three of the past five Grand Slam singles titles.

For the record, the sisters have met six previous times, with elder sister Venus winning four times. The last meeting of consequence was last year'sWimbledon, when Venus defeated Serena on the way to the championship.

That match was clouded by whispers that Richard had ordered Serena, whohad already won her first major, to let Venus win. After beating Capriati,Venus said it wasn't so.

"I think that anyone would have wrote that or said that was veryunprofessional," she said. "I take pride in my sport and my performance.I'm just appalled that anyone would hint something like that.

"I'm still trying to take the title home. I know she won't be giving upanything tomorrow. It's been like two years for her since she's won. It'sbeen a year for me since I won here, too."

Serena said she would have no difficulty finding the motivation to beather big sister.

"I won't have any problem because the winner gets $850,000," she said,laughing. "I won't have any problem going out there and trying to win.

"It will be good for us, our family and everything. I'm sure TV wouldlove it."

Tactically, there won't be any surprises for either sister; they'vebeen hitting with each other, all the way back to Compton, Calif., beginningin 1987. With the power they both possess, don't look for a lot of longpoints. Aces and unforced errors are likely to be the rule.

"They are going to come out and compete -- just like they always do,"Oracene said. "It's the way they've been brought up."

But who will win?

"I think in a way, Venus is the better player, but Serena is maybestronger," said no less an authority than Hingis. "She can keep the samepace and just a level. But I think always when it comes to crucial times,Venus was better. I mean, she's better in the rankings, so that shows it."

The feeling around the National Tennis Center is that Venus has theupper hand. She has won 15 consecutive matches and is the only person leftin the tournament not to drop a single set.

Is Venus mentally tougher than Serena?

"We're just two different players, two different persons [who] react tosituations differently," Venus said. "I hope at least tomorrow that I'llbe."