Williams sisters reach French semis

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Posted 7:30AM on Wednesday, June 5, 2002

PARIS - With their thunderous groundstrokes, sizzling serves and loud grunts, Venus and Serena Williams clearly can play on clay. No surface can mute their games. This year, they've entered new territory, with both reaching the French Open semifinals for the first time. Now each is one win from another all-sister Grand Slam final. ``I can play a longer point. I can move OK. I used to practice on clay a lot when I was younger, so I do know how to slide,'' Venus Williams said. ``I always felt like I had the groundstrokes and speed to play well here. More than anything I'm not trying to hit every ball so hard, just keep some in play, move it around, hope for the best.'' But Venus at times did hit it hard - very hard - and as usual her 6-foot-1 frame allowed her to track down shot after shot in a 6-4, 6-3 quarterfinal win over Monica Seles. Venus hit a serve at 118 mph. Serena Williams, meanwhile, hardly worked up a sweat in her black dress, routing 2000 champion Mary Pierce 6-1, 6-1 in 49 minutes, giving up only two points in her final five service games and setting up a showdown with defending champion Jennifer Capriati. ``I just feel like a clay courter,'' said Serena, the champion at last month's clay-court Italian Open. One men's semifinalist is set - No. 20 Albert Costa. The Spaniard won the final 10 games and beat No. 15 Guillermo Canas 7-5, 3-6, 6-7 (3), 6-4, 6-0 to reach his first Grand Slam semifinal. In a match suspended by darkness, No. 18 Alex Corretja, a finalist last year, led No. 22 Andrei Pavel 7-6 (5), 7-5, 4-5. That match was to resume Wednesday, when the other quarterfinals pit No. 4 Andre Agassi vs. No. 11 Juan Carlos Ferrerro, and No. 10 Sebastien Grosjen vs. No. 2 Marat Safin. Serena Williams must continue her recent run of victories against Capriati if she is to face her sister again in a repeat of last year's U.S. Open final. Serena has won four straight matches against Capriati, including three this year. But in their only two Grand Slam meetings, Capriati won both times - in the quarters of the French Open and Wimbledon last year. ``No one is going to remember the past. She has a couple of wins against me, I have a few against her,'' Serena said. Said Capriati: ``She's beaten me the last few, but we haven't played in a Grand Slam in a while.'' The Williams and Capriati are members of the Who's Who of women's tennis. Clarisa Fernandez belongs in a ``Who's She?'' A 20-year-old left-hander who started playing seriously five years ago, she's the first unseeded player to make the semifinals at Roland Garros since Capriati 12 years ago. The 5-foot-10 1/2 Argentine beat countrywoman Paola Suarez 2-6, 7-6 (5), 6-1 to continue an improbable run that has included wins over No. 4 Kim Clijsters and No. 13 Elena Dementieva. Her assignment now is to slow down Venus Williams, who will take over the top ranking after the French Open. And after losing at Roland Garros in the first round a year ago, Venus Williams hasn't dropped a set. The two-time champion at Wimbledon and the U.S. Open is not vulnerable on clay. ``I can play on anything,'' she said.