Williams Is in Control on Clay

Venus Williams always had the power. Now, with the French Open looming, she seems to have the patience too.

For the second consecutive week and against the same opponent, Williams won a clay-court tennis title--routing Mary Pierce, 6-4, 6-2, Sunday in the Italian Open at Rome.

And not even a host of on-court distractions--bees in the grandstand, ringing cell phones, car horns from a soccer stadium--could stop the 18-year-old.

Supposedly lacking the finesse and deliberation for clay courts, Williams had plenty of each--along with 12 aces--against a player limited by a strained groin.

“It’s exciting. I’m not sure I’m a clay-court specialist, though,” Williams said. “You just have to play well, no matter what the surface is. I just always play to win.”

Last week in Hamburg, Germany, Williams beat Pierce for her first clay title. She has won more than any other woman in 1999, with four WTA titles to three for No. 1-ranked Martina Hingis.

The No. 3-seeded Williams eliminated Hingis in the semifinals and used similar tactics against No. 4 Pierce, the 1997 champion in Rome.

Williams set up points, waiting for Pierce to err. She took few risks, anticipating the right moment to unleash her commanding strokes. She punished Pierce’s pedestrian serve.

“When her first serve is on, she’s tough to beat,” Pierce said. “The thing about playing Venus is that she’s powerful. If you give her short balls, you put yourself in a difficult position.”

Add it all up--back-to-back titles, the win over Hingis, a 57-minute rout of Anna Kournikova in the third round--and Williams figures to contend in Paris. The French Open, the only major on clay, starts May 24.

Williams lost to Hingis in the quarterfinals at Roland Garros last year. Williams’ best Grand Slam showing is a spot in the 1997 U.S Open final on hard courts.

“My main problem on clay before was that I hadn’t hardly played on it,” said Williams, who lost to Hingis in the Rome final a year ago. “I was learning some tough lessons, basically. . . . My first year at the French Open, I lost to Nathalie Tauziat in the third round. If I played that match now, what a difference there would be.”

She says her biggest adjustment to clay was getting used to the unsure footing. In the Italian final, though, her biggest problem was the commotion.

In the first set, a swarm of bees invaded a section of the grandstand, sending fans scurrying or waving newspapers in defense. Amid the fuss, Williams double-faulted to give Pierce three break points, then double-faulted again as Pierce tied it, 3-3. Then Williams went back to work.

*

Chile’s Marcelo Rios, who two weeks ago retired from the Monte Carlo final because of a thigh injury, saved a match point in the fourth set and defeated Argentina’s Mariano Zabaleta, 6-7 (5-7), 7-5, 5-7, 7-6 (7-5), 6-2, to win the German Open in Hamburg in 4 hours 7 minutes.

It was Rios’ first title of the year in the tournament’s first all-South American final.

“To win a big tournament and feel no pain in the back, that’s great,” Rios said after winning his 12th career title.

Rios missed the Australian Open and two other tournaments early this season because of his back injury. This was only his seventh tournament of the year.

Rios is the first South American champion in Hamburg since Guillermo Vilas of Argentina in 1978.

Seeded fourth, the Chilean drew on his big forehand and collected $361,000. Unseeded Zabaleta, age 21, earned $190,000.

Rios held the No. 1 ranking last year for six weeks. He started the week ranked No. 8 and probably will move up one spot.

Rios did have nervous moments in the match. A double fault gave Zabaleta a match point at 6-5, but the Argentine’s forehand sailed into the net. Rios then held and won the tiebreaker.

*

At Delray Beach, Fla., Australia’s Lleyton Hewitt defeated Belgium’s Xavier Malisse, 6-4, 6-7 (2-7), 6-1, in the final of the $270,000 Citrix Championships. . . . In Poland, Cristina Torrens-Valero of Spain won the Warsaw Cup, beating Ines Gorrochategui of Argentina 7-5, 7-6 (7-3).

(BEGIN TEXT OF INFOBOX / INFOGRAPHIC)

Venus Takes Over

Venus Williams won her fourth tournament title on Sunday. A look at the players and number of events they have won this year:

Venus Williams: 4

Martina Hingis: 3

Serena Williams: 2

Lindsay Davenport: 1

Monica Seles: 1

Jana Novotna: 1

Amy Frazier: 1

Patty Schnyder: 1