Venus and Serena show big hit at the Open
By Patrick HrubyNEW YORK -- Forget their short-lived reality television show. Serena Williams has it exactly right: there is no better stage for her and sister Venus than the U.S. Open.
And for that, the rest of us should be grateful.
Maria Sharapova may enjoy the loudest buzz. Lindsay Davenport's late-career resurgence is the stuff of Hallmark cards. Yet for jangly, glimmering entertainment value -- not to mention jangly, glimmering jewelry -- the Williams sisters remain the biggest, most accessible stars in their sport.
On Wednesday, the pair moved one step closer to a fourth-round meeting at the U.S. Open, with Venus sweeping past Russia's Maria Kirilenko 6-1, 6-3 and Serena topping Colombia's Catalina Castano 6-2, 6-2 in second-round matches at Arthur Ashe Stadium.
Afterward, talk centered around fashion -- specifically, how Serena would have looked as a Studio 54 patron in the 1970s.
What, you were expecting tennis?
"She would have been a brick house," said Venus with a giggle.
To understand how a post-match press conference at the world's premier tennis tournament can run the gamut from fashion history to The Golden Girls to Green Day, it helps to suspend disbelief. The Williams sisters may not inhabit "Bizzaro World" -- as Justin Gimlestob tactfully dubbed the WTA Tour -- but they are inarguably residents on Celebrity Planet.
As such, what they do is often tangential to who they are -- a state of affairs that explains why Serena fielded questions about her $40,000 earrings while Venus, a Green Day fan, expounded on the connection between her joyous Wimbledon victory leap and a concert she attended in April.
"We got all punked out and had our little punk rock outfits," Venus recalled. "I was jumping so high. We went forward, kind of [into] the mosh pit area.
There's like little kids in there, not heavy. We had the best time."
And?
"That's where I got my leaping ability."
Of course. Asked about the punked out look, Venus said she wore a pleated skirt, "gothic" with red plaid. Serena? Jean dress, pink fishnets. Different look, similar vibe.
In other words, much like the sisters' respective seasons.
By defeating Davenport in an epic Wimbledon final, the 25-year-old Venus halted a two-year slide that saw her drop in the rankings, cope with her half-sister's murder and hear father and coach Richard Williams publicly question her future in tennis.
Small wonder, then, that Venus memorably carried on like, well, a teenage mosher following her fifth major title.
"It's a beautiful thing," she said. "It really is. I mean, sometimes I'll be like sitting around, 'yes, I won Wimbledon.' Like a 2-year-old. Fist pump. It's just exciting at any time to win such a championship."
The thrill has carried over. Exhaustion and the flu forced Venus to take time off during the summer hardcourt season. No matter. Following her victory over Kirilenko, she twirled and grinned, blowing theatrical air kisses to the afternoon crowd.
We love you, Venus! came a shout from the stands.
"I love you, too!" Venus yelled back.
Like Venus, Serena is a New York favorite; unlike her older sister, she came into the Open with more questions than answers. Since winning the Australian Open, the seven-time Grand Slam champion has been racked by injuries and ennui: sprained left ankle, sore left knee, a plethora of outside interests.
Serena dumped her former boyfriend, director Brett Ratner, during an episode of her reality show. Last Thursday, she announced a "guest creator" gig with Flirt! cosmetics. She continues to do voiceover work for an animated television show.
Nevertheless, Serena bristles at the notion that she isn't committed to her sport -- a notion advanced by (guess who?) Richard Williams in the wake of his daughter's desultory Wimbledon showing.
"I love tennis," Serena said. "Quite frankly, I'm tired of people saying I put tennis third and last in my life. If I did, I wouldn't be here playing. I wouldn't be here practicing.
"I could be at the beach. I could be retired. I could be drinking lemonade with my legs crossed in the sun on the beach. I'm not doing that. I'm not in Saint-Tropez."
Too bad for Castana. With rain in the forecast, Serena made quick work of her first night match, dismissing the young Colombian in just one hour and 10 minutes.
Good omen: Serena ended an 18-stroke rally and set up match point with a perfectly placed forehand drop shot, the same iffy stroke that typically breaks down in her most egregious defeats.
Better omen: neither of Serena's diamond-dipped earrings fell off, a marked improvement over her first-round defeat of China's Yung-Jan Chan.
After the match, Serena told the Ashe Stadium crowd that for every ace she hits this season, she plans to donate $100 to Hurricane Katrina relief.
"If I don't do so good with the aces, I'll have to start doing it for the double faults," Serena later joked. "I don't hit that many double-faults."
Should they win in the third round -- Venus faces Daniela Hantuchova, Serena takes on Francesca Schiavone -- the sisters will advance to another Grand Slam meeting, a prospect Serena calls "exciting."
In the meantime, the excitement of Serena's jewelry and Venus' television-viewing habits will have to suffice. Sharing her ardor for "The Cosby Show" and "The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air," Venus told reporters that the sister's shared Florida home now has a TiVo digital video recorder.
Next came the obvious questions: Did they record their own reality show? Did they watch it?
"No," Venus replied. "We kind of lived it. We kind of knew what was going to happen."
As for the current season of Venus and Serena, now playing on the familiar stage of Flushing Meadows?
Stay tuned.
Patrick Hruby is a Page 2 columnist for ESPN.com.
