Venus and Serena Start Clay Season With Losses

Both Williams sisters opened the clay season with quarterfinal losses in their first tournament on that surface this year. Venus played well but lost to eventual champion Lindsay Davenport, 1-6, 6-3, 6-4 in the quarterfinals of the Bausch & Lomb Championships at Amelia Island in Florida. Serena was leading 7-5, 5-4, 15-40 when she tumbled and twisted her ankle, lost that game and ended up in a tie-break. Serena led the tiebreak with triple match point 6-3 but after eventual finalist Silvia Farina Elia won the tiebreak and second set 9-7, Serena refused to continue and conceded the match. Let's hope these setback are not a bellweather of the Williams' clay court season!