Mauresmo defeats Williams in epic final at Antwerp

In the first set both players lost their first service game. In the fifth game Williams took the lead but was broken again in the eighth game. Williams again takes the lead in the ninth, at advantage she hits a forehand winner for the break. She serves for the first set taking it 6-4.

In the second set Williams had the chance to close the match but failed to take advantage of her 5-3 lead. Williams serving for the match at 5-4 and Mauresmo saw her chance to break for 5-5. Holding on to her own game for 6-5 she also takes the takes the set winning it on love after Williams hit the balls wide and into the net. A forehand winner takes the Frenchwoman to 0-40, Williams then hits the ball into the net and both are tied in sets.

Williams breaks Mauresmo’s first service game, takes the second on love and leads 4- 3 before Mauresmo breaks back for 4 all. Mauresmo easily takes the next game on love and is up 5-4.

In the ninth game of the third set Williams could not get rid of Mauresmo. After 0-15 and 15-30 Williams came back to 30 all. After hitting a ball long she handed Mauresmo her first matchpoint. With a brilliant save at the net she came back to deuce and hits a winner for advantage.

Her next backhand goes long for deuce and the next forehand long gives Mauresmo her second matchpoint. This time Mauresmo makes the error hitting the ball out of the court and it's back to deuce. After a good rally Mauresmo gets the ball cross over the net and reached her third matchpoint.

Now it's Williams’s turn to show her skills at the net winning the point saving a matchpoint. Both players seem to have energy left and they play good rallies that could go either way. Williams hits the ball long for Mauresmo’s fourth matchpoint but she hits into the net.

Williams also hits the ball into net in the next rally and Mauresmo is looking at her fifth matchpoint. After the ball hits the netcord Williams cleverly saves it from bouncing twice but she is well out of position when she hits the ball over the net. Mauresmo seized the opportunity and hits her winner alongside of Venus Williams, who was seeking support from her mother in the players box right after Mauresmo scored the winning point.

“It was real close”, Williams said, “I missed some volleys but I had some good points as well. The positive side is that I played my best tennis although I didn’t serve too big today. I had a soar stomach with serving. My mum said I did well when I went to her after the match, I had two night matches and a day match. The stomach problem is not the same as the last time, I won’t be out for six months”.

About the tournament she said that the gold racquet was not her only objective. “I like the tournament a lot. And the other players are here as well so the also like it I guess. I have met some a lot of nice people here. And when the crowd is cheering for the opponent, well I don’t hear that. And I am not the one who tells them who to root for”.

After a week of rest and recreation Venus Williams is playing in at the Dubai Duty Free.