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| Venus Williams needed just 51 minutes to defeat Lindsay Lee-Waters© Clive Brunskill/Getty Images |
STANFORD, California (Ticker) -- Top seed Venus Williams continues to have little problems advancing at the $585,000 Bank of the West Classic. Williams, the champion here in 2000 and 2002, rolled into Sunday's final with a 6-3, 6-1 victory over fellow American Amy Frazier.
Williams needed just 62 minutes to dispose of the sixth-seeded Frazier. She has dropped only nine games in three matches this week. With her latest dominant performance, Williams next will meet second seed Lindsay Davenport, who coasted to a 6-3, 6-2 victory over No. 8 Maria Vento-Kabchi of Venezuela.
"I'm looking forward to it," Williams said before the second semifinal. "I always enjoy playing Lindsay, and if she makes it, you know it's going to be a good match."
"Tomorrow is gonna be a little different," Davenport said. "The balls are going to be faster, it's going to be a faster-paced game."
Davenport, who like Williams is a California native, has won eight of her 40 career singles titles in her home state, including six in U.S. Open warm-up events. She won the tournament here in 1998 and 1999, beating Williams in the final both times.
"I'm just thrilled to be in another final here," said Davenport, who missed last year's tournament due to injury.
Davenport converted 4-of-8 break points, while Vento-Kabchi was successful on just 1-of-6.
Frazier, who lost to Williams for the fifth time in as many career meetings, committed 14 double faults to the top seed's four.
"I only wish I was serving a little better," Frazier said. "I felt good at the net and when she got the momentum, then I felt the pressure and just kept trying the best I could. She was getting everything. She overpowered me, hit the balls really deep."
"When she was hitting the balls, she was striking them in," Williams said. "Fortunately, she had a lot of double faults. It felt like she was lacking a flat serve."
First prize is $93,000.