NO WILLIAMS?
Federer inspires Belinda to bundle Venus out
MELBOURNE
THE Australian Open will be without a Williams sister in the second round for the first time since 1997 after Venus was sent packing by a Roger Federer-inspired Belinda Bencic Monday.
The seven-time Grand Slam champion departed in straight sets as Swiss 20-year-old Belinda followed up her recent Hopman Cup win alongside compatriot Federer with a stunning 6-3, 7-5 victory in just under two hours on Rod Laver Arena.
Serena is missing following the birth of her daughter in September and the last time neither of the American tennis sisters got to round two in Australia Steffi Graf was world number one and Bencic was still two months away from being born.
Belinda, who lost to Serena in straights sets at the same stage last year, said she had received a huge confidence boost by having 19-time Grand Slam champion Federer rooting for her.
“I think all the week it was so great learning from him on the court or off the court,” she said of her victorious week in Perth with the world number two.
Venus, who lost in last year’s final to Serena, gave credit to Belinda, saying the Swiss youngster had “played above and beyond” to win.
The match started in routine fashion until the seventh game when former world number seven Belinda broke the Williams serve.
But she then had to hold off a ferocious fightback, saving five break points in an attritional game before a passing rain shower caused a 20-minute delay while the roof on Rod Laver Arena was closed.
They resumed with Belinda serving at deuce and the Swiss then crucially took the next two points for 5-3 before breaking Venus again to take the opener 6-3.
Venus departed for a bathroom break and, seemingly refreshed, struck back at the start of the second, breaking Belinda’s opening service game.
But the Swiss was not to be denied and put the pressure back on Venus’s serve and levelled on her third break point.
Belinda, who made her WTA 6-2 defeat by Hungarian Timea Babos at the Hisense Arena.
The first came after she refused to restart play at the end of the first set until a ball-kid delivered her bananas.
“How are they not on court? I mean, c’mon, that’s not my fault,” she said during an argument with the chair umpire.
“Why do I have to play under a different set of rules? I don’t have to make myself uncomfortable because it’s ill prepared.
“I have needs and it’s not my fault that this court is ill prepared.”
The American was docked a point toward the end of the second set after appearing to curse Tour debut as a 14-year-old against Venus in Luxembourg in 2012, had never beaten the seven-time Grand Slam winner in four previous meetings.
But at 6-5 in the final set Belinda seized her opportunity, watched from her players’ box by Federer’s parents.
A ferocious backhand winner helped her get to match point on the Venus serve and she then secured a famous victory, with a little help from the Federer playbook.
Sloane Stephens’ poor run since winning at Flushing Meadows in September continued, with the 13th seed crashing out to Chinese number two Zhang Shuai, who made the last eight two years ago.
The frustrated American put in an error-strewn performance on an overcast and windy Melbourne day and has now not won in seven matches.
Also out of the opening Grand Slam of the year is American big-hitter CoCo Vandeweghe, a semi-finalist last year at Melbourne Park and Flushing Meadow.
She slumped out to Hungary's Timea Babos 7-6 (7/4), 6-2. AFP at 51st-ranked Timea.
Coco told the media she was not happy about Timea getting “in her face” but the Hungarian denied trying to rile her up.
“She always does that (loses her temper),” Timea said.
“A couple of racquets are broken every match, this time it was I believe a time violation, but I’m not sure.
“The second one I believe was an insult against me. If the umpire heard it then it must have been this.”
Coco was the third of four American women who made the semi-finals at last year’s US Open to fall at the first hurdle at Melbourne Park yesterday. Reuters