Tennis: Sister act - the sequel

Serena Williams

Serena Williams had it all - the $US40,000 ($57,405) diamond chandelier earrings upgraded with three-carat studs, the 10-carat diamond choker, the sweet swings that had been missing in her comeback - as she flashed her best tennis of the US Open yesterday but was rewarded only with a clash with sister Venus.

Williams defeated Italy's Francesca Schiavone in Rome in May with a 6-3, 6-4 victory. Next up in the fourth round for the eighth-seeded Williams is her sister and fellow two-time champion, 10th-seeded Venus, who followed her in the stadium with a 6-3, 6-3 win against 20th seed Daniela Hantuchova.

Neither sister wanted to meet this early in the tournament. Six of their eight grand slam matches against each other have been in finals, Serena winning the last five.

"It's obviously extremely disappointing to have to play my sister in the next round," Serena said. "She's playing unbelievable. I'm just going to have to pick it up."

In men's matches, third seed Lleyton Hewitt won in straight sets, unseeded Paradorn Srichaphan upset sixth seed Nikolay Davydenko, No 11 David Nalbandian won a four-setter against Peter Wessels, unseeded Novak Djokovic beat No 22 Mario Ancic, and No 25 Taylor Dent became the only American to reach the third round in the top half of the draw.

In the men's third round Dent and Hewitt, the 2001 men's champion, will play their third match this year. Dent beat the Australian in his home town of Adelaide, and Hewitt won at Wimbledon. Dent intends not to let the Australian Hewitt rattle him with his on-court antics when they meet.

Dent said he got a little "heated" in his second-round match against Nicolas Almagro on Friday after the Spaniard shouted "vamos" (let's go) to exhort himself following some of the American's fluffed shots.

"It was getting a little bit heated out there," the big-serving Dent said. "That fired me up a little bit more. I was pumped out there."

After a 6-3, 6-2, 4-6, 7-5 victory, Dent said he was prepared to be more composed against his next opponent, third-seeded Hewitt, another player the American claimed has been known to violate an unwritten etiquette of the tennis court.

"He does get in your face a little bit but that's his style of game," Dent said of Hewitt, adding that "cheering on double faults and easy missed shots, I wouldn't call that super sportsmanship.

"I don't think too many of the guys would."

Hewitt said he did not care how Dent rated his behaviour. "It doesn't faze me a whole heap," Hewitt said. "It's still a matter of me going out there Sunday and playing my game and not worrying about who's at the other end. So it's sort of water off a duck's back."

Hewitt has angered some opponents by firing himself up after their mistakes, yet sailed politely through a comfortable 7-6, 7-6, 6-2 victory over Jose Acasuso of Argentina.

- NZPA/REUTERS