[valeria]

Why Was The Final Between Venus And Martina So Special.?
What Exactly Happened?
Can Someone Explain This To Me
Thanks

 

[Serendy Willick]

Venus came back from a 3-5 deficit in monster style, including hitting a notoriously great backhand winner off of a Hingis smash.

 

[darren cahill]

was that a final? i thought it was semi?

venus beat davenport in the final

 

[selesfan1]

All hingis needed to do was hit a routine overhead and she would have had matchpoint and she netted it and there went her chance.

 

[Knizzle]

Why Was The Final Between Venus And Martina So Special.?
What Exactly Happened?
Can Someone Explain This To Me
Thanks

It was a semi, and there were just great points and long rallies throughout the match. A real seesaw battle. And of course Venus being down 5-3 15-30, and hitting that incredible BH winner off of Hingis' weak overhead.

 

[Knizzle]

All hingis needed to do was hit a routine overhead and she would have had matchpoint and she netted it and there went her chance.

She didn't net it, she hit it over and Venus smacked it for a passing shot winner.

 

[bandabou]

It was great because Venus hit THE SHOT OF THE YEAR to come back from 3-5 down in the third set. Hingis had an easy smash, but Venus took it and hit down the line!! Amazing stuff!!

 

[Mad-About-Venus]

Well, that was the point that turned the match around and handled Venus the victory. But the whole match was incredible. Venus made some incredible shots througout the whole match, lot's of high swinging volleys, lot's of power. Martina's defensive skills were pretty good too, like McEnroe said towards the end of the match, her competitiveness is not too shavy either.

There had been a lot of anticipation towards that match too because of the alliance that Lindsay and Martina had created to break up an all Williams finals. Lindsay took care of business, Martina couldn't. Venus fell in the middle of a long rallie, got up and managed to smash a winner to win the point.

They exchanged a dead fish handshake a the net after fighting like mad cats for 2 hours. Those were the days !!

 

[jenglisbe]

Um, Venus' shot wasn't as great as Hingis' overhead was lame. Hingis got tentative, and she gave Venus a chance to come back. Venus didn't have to move all that much to get to the overhead from what I remember.

 

[Serendy Willick]

Um, Venus' shot wasn't as great as Hingis' overhead was lame. Hingis got tentative, and she gave Venus a chance to come back. Venus didn't have to move all that much to get to the overhead from what I remember.

Please, give credit where fucking credit is due. Venus did what she had to do to win the match.

 

[Kart]

It was a great match - partly because of a great semi they had the year before.

Martina looked like taking it in two for a while. Everyone talks about Venus, but Martina was playing really well to start with. Then she got a warning for supposed coaching from her mother in the stands and seemed to drop her level ever so slightly while Venus picked hers up and held her nerve to take the second set.

Then of course there was that famous overhead that Venus returned in the third set. A tentative smash from Martina, but against a lesser player it could still have been a winner - Venus' anticipation and speed both came together at just the crucial time. After that Martina still played well but something was missing.

The final started well with Lindsay going up two breaks and looking serious. That's where Venus just took complete control.

 

[mexicotrip]

that final pissed me off...although i am no fan of Davenport she was up 4-0 in both sets!

 

[jenglisbe]

Luci - Venus deserves a lot of credit for winning the match and tournament as she played great, but in no way was that backhand winner the shot of the tournament or anything. Hingis should have put it away.

 

[bandabou]

Luci - Venus deserves a lot of credit for winning the match and tournament as she played great, but in no way was that backhand winner the shot of the tournament or anything. Hingis should have put it away.

Indeed...that was the beginning of many gag-jobs by Hingis. Culminating with that ´02 Oz open final!

 

[Venus Forever]

Luci - Venus deserves a lot of credit for winning the match and tournament as she played great, but in no way was that backhand winner the shot of the tournament or anything. Hingis should have put it away.

Any overhead should be put away.

HOWEVER, an overhead is still a very offensive shot, unless it's a shank of course. It's still hard to retrieve an overhead, no matter how lightly it is hit, as many of them are more about placement then speed. Hingis of all players is more about placement.

Venus still had to anticipate where she was going to go with the overhead. Hingis hit it out wide, Venus anticipated correctly, got there, and hit it for an on-the-line winner.

It was a GREAT shot, no matter what. Hingis should have put it away, but she didn't. It's still not easy for other players to retrieve that type of ball, and most likely, if they got it, it would just have set up another overhead for Hingis to smash. The fact that Venus hit a on-the-line winner makes it remarkable.

Brings me back to 1997 vs. Spirlea and that amazing winner on match point down.

 

[jenglisbe]

Venus F - That winner against Spirlea was a more incredible shot. I give her that one gladly.

That shot off Hingis' overhead is one Venus would make 90% of the time. Good shot? Yes! Shot of the tournament? No.

 

[Joana]

Yep, that was a great match! Some of the points were just
They showed this match again on Eurosport last year, just the day before Hingis played Irvin. The difference between Martina 2000 and Martina 2002 was incredible. She has never been my fave but I was so sad to see her like that.
The whole USO 2000 is mixed feelings for me. QF Lindsay-Serena was just priceless, but how on Earth did Lindsay manage to lose the final is beyond me.

 

[Mad-About-Venus]

but how on Earth did Lindsay manage to lose the final is beyond me.

Well, Venus was chasing every ball Lindsay gave her. Lindsay just couldn't get anything past her so Venus kept forcing the errors. Venus was making some incredible returns too that would have been big ass aces against everybody else. Venus was just too good in 2000.

By the way, Venus never went down 4-0 in the second set. I don't know who said that.

 

[Sam L]

Please, give credit where fucking credit is due. Venus did what she had to do to win the match.

Calm down, it wasn't you that hit that passing shot.

 

[CanIGetAWhat]

This was a very good match. One of the best games of the entire match came in the 7th game of the second set. If you didn't see this match, I definately recommend it.

Pictures from the semifinal:

Outstretched, Williams went down 6-4 in the first set

Hingis was bidding for her fourth consecutive Open final

Oops! Venus stumbles but takes control of the second set

Hingis battles on, tiring in the third set

Williams rouses the crowd and her will to win, taking the third set and the match

Martina manages a smile despite bowing out in the semis

A happy Venus blows a kiss to the crowd, after a close-fought victory