DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — The Dubai Championships will not have an all-Williams final as Alize Cornet of France defeated Serena Williams convincingly in straight sets 6-4, 6-4 on Friday. It was her first career victory against any No. 1 player.
This event was the first for Serena Williams, after her defeat by Ana Ivanovic in the fourth round of the Australian Open.
In Serena’s post-match news conference she said her back was fine but also said, “She played really well. I just didn’t play today.
I don’t think I have made that many errors in a match in I think at least three years, maybe four years.”
Her half-hearted congratulatory comments and excuses does not sit well with the tennis community in general especially as 17-time grand slam winner (and counting). With that being said, Venus Williams, now ranked 44th in the WTA, continues to play excellent tennis during the whole tournament and will be int the final after she downed Denmark’s Caroline Wozniacki 6-3, 6-2.
Venus said, “I feel like I’ve just gotten so much better since my first round to now, just feeling comfortable on the court, feeling comfortable when I’m behind, feeling comfortable when I’m in the lead,”.
Venus does hold a 3-0 edge over Cornet so she should feel comfortable about that too. If she continues to play as she has all week she will be a 3-time champion having won in 2009 and 2010.