Jul 17, 2008

Serena Williams gets big scare

Top seed rallies for victory after dropping first set

By John Reid / Daily News Staff Writer

Some of the well-heeled crowd arrived fashionably late for Wednesday night's feature match in the Bank of the West Classic, some not even reaching their seats until the fifth game had ended. By that time, 15-year-old Michelle Larcher de Brito, a fist-pumping pistol from Portugal, already had her teeth well into No. 1 seed Serena Williams.

Williams had trouble shaking the relentless pitbull loose before rallying for a 4-6, 6-3, 6-2 victory in a second-round match in front of 2,628 thoroughly entertained spectators. Williams plays today's Alisa Kleybanova-Patty Schnyder winner in Friday's quarterfinal. That match will be hard-pressed to top Wednesday's show-stopper between Williams and Larcher de Brito, two players making their Bank of the West debuts. Larcher de Brito had a marvelous run, winning three qualifying matches and a main draw match against Argentina's Gisela Dulko before reluctantly bowing to Williams.

"She's going to be a great player if she keeps playing like the way she played against me," said Williams of Larcher de Brito. "Everyone always brings their best game against me. I have to deal with it. I never underestimate anyone."

"I had nothing to lose," Larcher de Brito said. "I felt I played well throughout the match. She was the best player I had ever played. She's Serena Williams."

Larcher de Brito, the No. 226-ranked singles player in the world, came out fearless, winning the first two games of the first set, breaking the powerful Williams in the second game. Larcher de Brito ran the baseline non-stop, saving everything Williams threw at her, winning crowd approval along the way.

"Everything about Larcher de Brito's game is good," Williams said. "She's fast."

Williams, the fifth-ranked player in the world with eight grand slam titles, relied on a rocket serve, chalking up 14 aces to Larcher de Brito's one. But, Larcher de Brito managed to break Williams' serve five times, while Williams broke Larcher de Brito's serve seven times.

"Facing Serena's serve is a challenge," Larcher de Brito said. "But, I broke her serve a few times."

Williams actually ran off four straight games to go up 4-2 in the first set, but Larcher de Brito ripped off the next four games to win the set. And whenever Larcher de Brito did something noteworthy for a winner, she pumped her left fist.

"I felt I had momentum," Larcher de Brito said. "I didn't want to lose."

The duo staged several rallies with each player executing skillful shots down the line. And when Larcher de Brito hit on the run, she was a human sound effect machine, sounding like a bullet that is fired into an old drainage pipe. However, Larcher de Brito began to tire late in the second set and it showed as she double-faulted on her serve five times during the set.

Williams took control in the third set, breaking Larcher de Brito to go up 3-1. Larcher de Brito answered with a break of her own, but that was her last hurrah.

"I stopped trying to figure her out and started playing my game," Williams said. "I was so into the match, I didn't want to lose."

In the greatest rally of the night, both players were on the run making miraculous shot after miraculous shot. Williams finally won the point with a forehand as the fans stood and applauded both players.

It was brilliant tennis in a brilliant match, perhaps, as good as any second-round match in Bank of the West Classic history. Not many in attendence would argue differently.

Two more singles player made their Bank of the West debut during the day session, though only one advanced into the quarterfinals. No. 4 seed Daniela Hantuchova was upset 6-3, 6-1 by Ai Sugiyama while second-seeded and defending champ Anna Chakvetadze dispatched of Shahar Peeer in straight sets 6-3, 6-4. The other singles match of the day saw Dominika Cibulkova win 6-2, 6-3 over Kateryna Bondarenko, setting up a quarterfinal matchup against Sugiyama.



E-mail John Reid at jreid@dailynewsgroup.com.