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SPORTS Friday 14 July 2017

Venus Williams gains 9th Wimbledon final, awaits Muguruza

By HOWARD FENDRICH 106 mph (171 kph) second This was her 10th semifinal in
AP Tennis Writer serve that went right at 20 Wimbledon appearanc-
LONDON (AP) — All these Konta’s body. It was a risky es; Konta had never been
years later, Wimbledon still strategy, going for so much past the second round at
brings out the best in Venus pace on a second serve, the grass-court tournament
Williams. but it worked. That opened before this year.
With her latest display of a run in which Williams won In the other semifinal, Mu-
gutsy serving and big hit- 12 of 13 points. guruza won 15 of the first
ting, Williams beat Johan- “She looks to dictate from 20 points en route to a 5-0
na Konta 6-4, 6-2 on Thurs- the very first ball,” Konta lead. Even though Ryba-
day to reach her ninth title said. “When she puts herself rikova entered having won
match at the All England in a position to do that, she 18 of her past 19 grass-court
Club and first since 2009. plays with a lot of depth, a matches, mostly at lower-
At 37, Williams is the oldest lot of speed, and you don’t level tournaments, she sud-
Wimbledon finalist since get much of a chance to denly looked a lot more like
Martina Navratilova was get your, I guess, grip into someone whose career re-
the 1994 runner-up at that the points.” cord at Wimbledon before
age. Williams wouldn’t face an- last week was 2-9.
Williams also stopped Kon- other break point and, lat- “Not my best day,” Ryba-
ta’s bid to become the first er, produced another im- rikova said. “But she didn’t
woman from Britain in 40 pressive second serve — in give me much chance to
years to win the country’s the second set, at 103 mph do something.”
Grand Slam tournament. (166 kph), it went right at Muguruza won the point on
“I couldn’t have asked for Konta, who jumped out of 19 of 25 trips to the net and
more, but I’ll ask for a little the way. had a 22-8 edge in winners.
more. One more win would Konta played quite well, That earned the 23-year-
be amazing,” Williams said. especially early, and fin- old Muguruza a berth in her
“It won’t be a given, but ished with more winners, third career Grand Slam fi-
I’m going to give it my all.” 20 to 19, each greeted by nal, second at the All Eng-
She will be seeking her sixth roars from the Centre Court land Club. She lost to Ser-
Wimbledon championship spectators. ena Williams with the title
and eighth Grand Slam “They could have really on the line at Wimbledon in
singles trophy overall. Her been even more boister- 2015, then beat her at Ro-
most recent came in 2008, ous. I thought the crowd land Garros last year.
when she defeated her was so fair. And I know “I’ll have to ask Serena for
younger sister, Serena, for that they love Jo, and she some pointers,” Venus Wil-
the title at the All England gave it her all today,” Wil- liams said. “Serena’s al-
Club. A year later, she lost liams said. “It’s a lot of pres- ways in my corner. And
the final to Serena. sure. It’s a lot of pressure. usually it’s her in these fi-
In the time since, Williams I thought she handled it nals, so I’m trying my best
revealed that she was di- well. I think my experience to represent ‘Williams’ as
agnosed with Sjogren’s just helped a lot.” best as I can.”q
syndrome, which can
sap energy and cause
joint pain. As time went Venus Williams of the United States returns to Britain’s Johanna
on, there were questions Konta during their Women’s Singles semifinal match on day nine
about whether she might at the Wimbledon Tennis Championships in London Thursday
retire, especially after a July 13, 2017.
half-dozen first-round losses Associated Press
at major tournaments. But yourself.’ So here we are.” involved in a two-car acci-
she kept on going, and On Saturday, the 10th- dent in Florida; not long af-
lately has returned to win- seeded American will terward, a passenger in the
ning. participate in her second other vehicle died. At her
Her resurgence began in Grand Slam final of the initial news conference at
earnest at Wimbledon a season, and 16th of her ca- Wimbledon, a tearful Wil-
year ago, when she made reer, this time against 14th- liams briefly left the room to
it to the semifinals. Then, seeded Garbine Muguruza compose herself after be-
at the Australian Open in of Spain. ing asked about the crash.
January, Williams reached “She knows how to play, She has tried, coach David
the final, where she lost to especially Wimbledon fi- Witt said, to “just focus on
— yes, you guessed it — nals,” Muguruza, the 2015 the tennis.”
her sister. Serena is off the Wimbledon runner-up and In the semifinals, it was
tour for the rest of this year 2016 French Open cham- Konta who had the first
because she is pregnant. pion, said about Williams. chance to nose ahead, a
“I missed her so much be- “It’s going to be, like, a his- point from serving from the
fore this match. And I was toric final again.” opening set when it was
like, ‘I just wish she was Muguruza overwhelmed 4-all and Williams was serv-
here.’ And I was like, ‘I wish 87th-ranked Magdalena ing down 15-40.
she could do this for me,’” Rybarikova of Slovakia 6-1, Williams erased the first
Williams said with a laugh. 6-1 in the earlier semifinal. break point with a back-
“And I was like, ‘No, this Williams arrived in England hand winner down the
time you have to do it for a few weeks after being line, and the second with a