Venus defiant despite humiliating setback

Venus Williams insists she remains a “great player” regardless of evidence to the contrary provided by her humiliating loss to 15-year-old Sesil Karatantcheva at the French Open.

A dismal 2004 looks like being followed by another year of underachievement from a player who around the turn of the century looked like dominating the women’s game for the next decade.

But as the first weekend of action begins at Roland Garros, Williams has seen her name struck off the draw-sheet after one of the most perturbing defeats of her career.

She was putting a brave face on it last night, and intends to fly home to the United States this weekend to step up her Wimbledon preparations.

“I feel like I’m a great player,” she stressed, “but this is just not the best result for me right now.”

Venus has slid down the rankings to 13th in the world, having now reached only one quarter-final in her last six grand slams.

By contrast, Justine Henin-Hardenne is breezing up the rankings after an injury and illness ravaged year.

The former world number one missed much of last season with a virus and did not return to the tour until April this year, since when she has risen from 43rd to 12th in the WTA Tour rankings.

Today she is facing another in-form player in the third round in Paris, but the Belgian will nonetheless be expected to extend her winning streak to 20 matches.

The 2003 Roland Garros champion, Henin-Hardenne faces Spain’s Anabel Medina Garrigues who won a tour title in Strasbourg last week.

Alsoin action today is sixth-seeded Russian Svetlana Kuznetsova, the reigning US Open champion, who takes on American Marissa Irvin for the right to meet either Henin-Hardenne or Medina Garrigues in the last 16.

Second seed Maria Sharapova, who will return to Wimbledon as defending champion next month, faces fellow Russian Anna Chakvetadze.

The home nation’s best hope in the women’s singles, third seed Amelie Mauresmo, meets Ana Ivanovic of Serbia & Montenegro.

In men’s third-round action, Australian Open champion Marat Safin meets 2003 French Open winner Juan Carlos Ferrero in a tantalising match-up.

Last year’s runner-up Guillermo Coria takes on Austrian Jurgen Melzer, and Coria’s fellow Argentinian Guillermo Canas, seeded ninth, faces France’s Paul-Henri Mathieu.

The French will be hoping for a boost from Mathieu after their much-touted teenager Richard Gasquet was taught a clay-court lesson by Spain’s 18-year-old ace Rafael Nadal.

Nadal won their third-round contest in straight sets, and remains on course to face world number one Roger Federer in the semi-finals.

“Each match is a different story,” said Nadal. “I’m improving my game day after day.

“I know that in any case as time goes on in the tournament, the matches will get more difficult and I could lose at any time.

“It’s not because I’ve won this match that everything is done. I’m very happy with my game, but I’m very aware of the fact that I can lose any time.”

Federer was also a straight-sets winner over Chile’s Fernando Gonzalez. Like Nadal, he is not in action today, with the third-round matches due to be tied up.