It’s a Sparkling Return for Youngest Williams

She wears it on the back of her pullover jacket. She gladly signs it for her fans, not with a quick scrawl but with a stylistic flourish. In a sport that, more than any other, identifies its stars on a first-name basis, it could be the next name to know.

Serena.

Or, as a headline in the newsletter she publishes with her sister Venus proclaimed: “Serena Serena Serena!!!”

After watching Serena Williams’ play in taking the Acura Classic in Manhattan Beach this week, she looks like a worthy heiress to the No. 1 spot once held by such icons as Chrissy and Martina and Steffi (no last names necessary).

She hits the ball with power and covers the court so well that nothing can be considered out of play for her. She chases down balls that appear reachable only by the linesmen, and she catches up to the little drop shots at the net when opponents try to get cute with her.

Williams played so well in beating top-ranked Martina Hingis on Saturday night that Hingis couldn’t even get mad at herself for losing, because there really wasn’t much more she could have done. On Sunday Williams finished the job with a 6-1, 6-4 victory over Julie Halard-Decugis in the final.

Now, as is the case with anyone who possesses Williams’ ability and wins a tournament this time of year, she has to be considered a threat to win the U.S. Open.

Serena’s name will be on the minds of everyone who follows tennis, in part because Serena won’t let us forget it. Serena wields her Sharpie pen as skillfully as she handles a racket. She even wrote her name down on the players’ table in the interview room earlier in the week, and was a little dismayed to discover that someone had placed a piece of duct tape over it by week’s end.

She “ameliorated” (to use a word from her postgame comments) that situation by winning the tournament. Now her name won’t just be on the table, it will be in the headlines. And it’s going to be seen more and more.

First, a little history on its origin. Oracene Williams named her first four daughters Lyndrea, Isha, Yetunde and Venus, so when her fifth child was born, “I wanted something easy,” Oracene said. “All the other ones were difficult.”

She chose Serena. It rolls off the tongue so easily and conjures up such peaceful images. Sounded good at the time.

Now Oracene looks at her daughter almost 18 years later and says, “I think I picked the wrong one. She’s not serene.”

Oracene’s fifth daughter is filled with energy and ambition. She’s ready to conquer the world by noon and spend the rest of the day shopping. Serena is going to study fashion design at the Art Institute of Fort Lauderdale and has dreams of becoming a professional wrestler, but for now her sights are set at the top of women’s tennis.

During the post-match ceremony Sunday she was asked where she was headed--as in the site of her next tournament.

Before she could answer, a fan blurted out a different destination: “No. 1.”

“Yes,” Serena replied. “No. 1.”

Later, when asked about that exchange during an interview session, Williams said: “Oh, no, I wasn’t joking. All I want is to be the best I can be. I definitely feel it’s within reach, that it’s a possibility.”

Her performance in Manhattan Beach pushed her back into the top 10 for the second time this year, moving her to the No. 9 spot she held for three weeks in April.

Breaking into the top 10 is easy compared to making that next step, climbing to No. 1. There are plenty of tough competitors out there, including Hingis, Lindsay Davenport and big sister Venus.

“Whoever wants it more to get to the top, that person is going to get it,” Hingis said. “You’ve got to be consistent.”

And you have to make sacrifices, which to Williams means “You can’t go to the mall on the day of the match.”

The next step Williams needs to take on the court is the ruthlessness to finish off opponents when they’re wounded. Right now Williams is at her best when she is in jeopardy. She’ll pull out an ace or run down a shot to hit a winner when she’s facing break point. But she’ll dump serves into the net or make an unforced error when she has the chance to end a set or a match.

At the Manhattan Country Club that weakness didn’t cost her matches, it only delayed the end of her victories.

The net result of the past week was she established herself as a legitimate candidate to replace Graf right after Graf’s retirement.

She is making her mark with graffiti and a style of play that’s as entertaining as it is effective.

Serena’s name grows larger and larger, even if her mother is having second thoughts about her choice.

“Her middle name is Jameka,” Oracene Williams said. “Maybe I should have used that one. She’s jammin.’ ”

*

J.A. Adande can be reached at his e-mail address: j.a.adande@latimes.com

*

STREAKING SAMPRAS

Pete Sampras’ winning streak reached 22 as he earned a convincing 7-6 (9-7), 6-3 victory over Patrick Rafter at the ATP Championship. Page 9