Venus, Kafelnikov win to restore tennis sanity

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Sydney: American Venus Williams and Yevgeny Kafelnikov of Russia restored order at the Olympic tennis tournament on Thursday following a disastrous day for the favourites.

Wimbledon and US Open champion Williams was far below her best form but still extended her match-winning streak to 28 by beating Tamarine Tanasugarn 6-2, 6-3 to reach the third round.

The second-seeded Williams double-faulted eight times and her overmatched opponent committed 10 double faults in a dismal match that produced more unforced errors than winners.

"I guess I wasn't trying very hard," Williams said about the double faults in her 61-minute match. "I was serving too fast. For me, it's just about going out there and working on my game."

Men's fifth seed Kafelnikov had a harder time than expected because of some rousing play from opponent Juan Ignacio Chela of Argentina, who battled the former French and Australian Open champion before falling 7-6 (7-4), 6-4 in the day's opening centre court match.

On Wednesday seven seeds were eliminated from the top half of the men's draw, including top-seeded US Open champion Marat Safin of Russia and Australian fourth seed Lleyton Hewitt. Spain's Alex Corretja, the sixth seed, is the only seeded player left in the top half.

The women's tournament also lost a seed on Wednesday, number 14 Ai Sugiyama of Japan, who fell to Australian teenager Jelena Dokic.

Form held early on Thursday, however, as men's 11th seed Mark Philippoussis of Australia, women's fourth seed Arantxa Sanchez Vicario of Spain, Dominique Van Roost of Belgium (8) and France's Nathalie Dechy (11) all advanced.

The hard-serving Philippoussis registered a 6-4, 6-4 victory over Denmark's Kristian Pless to set up a third-round clash with Kafelnikov. Sanchez Vicario, the 1996 silver medallist, beat Austrian Patricia Wartusch 6-2, 6-4, Van Roost routed Russian Anastasia Myskina 6-2, 6-3 and Dechy disposed of Australian Nicole Pratt 6-3, 6-1.

Fabiola Zuluaga of Colombia, who upset France's ninth seed Amelie Mauresmo in the first round, beat Belgian Els Callens 6-3, 6-2 to book a third-round match against Sanchez Vicario.



(c) Reuters Limited.