I can remember being home from school during the summer and waking up in the morning, always thankful to see that morning soap operas on NBC were replaced by tennis. It’s not that I was really much of a tennis fan, but I hated soap operas. But, by just having tennis on in the background while I was doing other stuff made me understand the game a bit. But more importantly, to me, it made me a fan of certain players. And they were always the women players. I found men’s tennis actually kind of boring. It took longer for matches to be resolved and it was mostly all about power. Serve, volley, kill. Wash, rinse, repeat. But I noticed that the women’s game had a lot more rallying back and forth and the set ups of the shots were less predictable. And what male on earth wasn’t a fan of Chris Evert Lloyd? And then Jennifer Capriatti came along. And Monica Seles. I didn’t really care who won, as long as Martina Navratilova didn’t, which meant that for the most part, I was unhappy with who won. She was like the Darth Vader of women’s tennis. Expressionless (at least to me). Didn’t seem happy. Didn’t know that wearing glasses and a headband wasn’t attractive. But she annihilated people. Gladly, for me, her reign of terror was near the end when I started watching. But she was still the villain and a fantastic one at that.

Darth

Eddy Zucko, Young Randall, and HJ still follow the tennis scene, but the only thing that draws me to tennis these days is the match-ups. When I see that the sisters of destruction, Venus and Serena are going to play each other for the championship, I’m watching. And nope, I still don’t watch men’s tennis.

I decided to try and see if I could even blog this sport.

First Set

- Venus’s second serve was immediately blasted back by Serena. Venus didn’t even move.

- Serena wins the first game by ripping a double backhand cross court.

- If these girls didn’t have the same last name, you couldn’t really tell they were sisters. Venus is slim and athletic with really long legs. Serena has thick linebacker like thighs, a shorter, compact build, and a badonkadonk. Ok, maybe you could still tell.

- Serena very easily wins the first two games. She’s been pinpoint with everything.

- Venus got a game back by having to sit at the net while Serena ripped it at her, but she got her racket up and the ball just died on Serena after it made it over the net. 2-1 Serena in the first set.

- Serena takes the fourth game holding serve. She had a killer ace that NBC missed because they were trying to show Serena’s hand grips. Um, guys, we don’t care about the hand grips that much.

- Serena looked at Venus’ 117 mph serve and posed on it, ripping a backhand cross court. But Venus pulled out the game and it’s 3-2 with Serena now serving.

- They just showed Darth Vader in the crowd. I was frightened slightly.

- Now that there’s this computerized line judging, it takes away one of my favorite things about tennis. Arguing with tennis judges. I loved watching the players throw fits while the judge just stood there without expression and took it all.

- Mother Williams is wearing one of those wigs that my dad’s old aunts used to wear. Unless that’s not a wig.

- They both hold serve and it’s 4-3 Serena in the first set.

- With all the grunting going on, this match sounds like the sound effects soundtrack to The Dark Crystal.

- Venus just big sissed Serena and made her run all over the court, and then just obliterated her final return. It’s now 4-4.

- After going to deuce about 100 times, Venus finally holds serve and wins the point including a weird deal where the final game point was called “let” by the judge. I’m still not sure what happened. 5-4 Venus.

- Venus just whiffed on Serena’s serve.

- How does Serena play with those hoop earrings swinging on her lobes?

- Serena just went back to back ace. And she holds serve. It’s 5-5.

- I can’t tell if Serena gives up on some points, or if Venus is just setting her up so well.

- Venus is definitely in control here. She just won the next game and it’s 6-5 with Serena serving.

- Serena just drag bunted her drop over the net and she’s doing her best to make sure her sister doesn’t win this first set.

- Serena’s double backhand went into the net and Venus wins the first set, 7-5.

Second Set

- You can definitely tell who is winning just based on the body language. Venus is calm and steady while Serena talks to herself after every shot and even throws her hands up in disgust, shaking her head from side to side even after she wins a point.

- After going to deuce a couple times, Venus holds serve and she’s up in the second set, 1-0.

- Serena looks a little agitated. She aced Venus on her first serve, which was 122 mph. And then she went out and took the second game easily. 1-1.

- They had a great point to take the third game to deuce. Venus hit a big forehand and the return was weak. She then hit a strong forehand again and followed to the net and blitzed Serena for the point.

- Now that was a crazy point. Serena outlasted Venus and broke her serve after a long back and forth which ended with Venus falling on her butt. 2-1 Serena.

-  Serena mishits more balls than I’ve seen in a while. Venus took the fourth point and it’s now 2-2.

-  A Serena unforced error puts Venus up 3-2. I think Venus can smell number 5.

- They each easily held serve and now Venus is up 4-3. If she breaks Serena, she might be able to win this thing outright in the next three points.

- Ok, so that didn’t happen. Serena overpowered her to take it to 4-4.

- Mary Carillo just said that in her day, Steffi Graf won each major 4 times. Sheesh.

- Venus took the point and Serena is just dejected. She missed one shot after a long volley and bent at the waist and just laughed as if to say, “What else do I need to do?”

- With championship point looming for Venus, Serena sends an ace as if to say, “Not so fast Big Sis.”

- Venus went wide to get to two shots I didn’t think she could get to and that was the real story of the match. Venus could get to everything and Serena had to be more precise and simply wasn’t. Venus is the champ.

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