Stowe, Vt. – Russian depth simply short-circuited American power.
Even without two injured players, Russia still had enough tennis talent to overcome slugging Venus Williams and the United States 3-2 on Sunday in the semifinals of the Fed Cup.
Russia advanced to the Fed Cup final against Italy, which eliminated France earlier Sunday.
“Their depth is very strong, that’s the difference,” U.S. captain Zina Garrison said. “They can go to almost anyone.”
Russian captain Shamil Tarpischev took things further, saying he could choose from as many as 15 women and still compete for the Cup.
The ones who did the damage Sunday were Nadia Petrova and Elena Vesnina.
Petrova evened the series 2-2 by crushing Cup newcomer Meilen Tu 6-1, 6-2 after Williams gave the U.S. the series lead by powering past Anna Chakvetadze 6-1, 6-4.
With the outcome on the line, Garrison substituted Williams into the doubles with No. 2-ranked doubles player Lisa Raymond, but it didn’t help as Petrova and Vesnina came away with a 7-5, 7-6 (7-1) victory.
Although the Russians were missing injured Maria Sharapova and Svetlana Kuznetsova, they came out with Chakvetadze and Petrova – ranked eighth and ninth in the world – and Vesnina.
In the doubles, Vesnina held serve to give the Russians a 6-5 lead. The pair then broke Raymond when Vesnina slammed a return down the line for a winner and Williams netted a volley.
The Americans took a 4-3 lead in the second set with a break against Vesnina’s serve. But the Russians broke back in the next game after three deuces when Vesnina won two points at the net.
In the tiebreaker, Petrova double-faulted on the first point, but the Russians swept the next seven points, including some fine returns by Vesnina off Williams.
“They really got some lucky shots, I mean off my serve,” Williams said. “Normally, I’m never going to lose two points in the tiebreaker on my serve.”
“Now she heard about me, now she knows me,” Vesnina said, laughing when asked about Williams’ comment that she never had heard of Vesnina before the matches.
WNBA
Ford-fueled East all-stars hold off West
Bill Laimbeer coached the Eastern Conference to its first winning streak in the the WNBA All-Star Game.
“We talked about it before the game,” Laimbeer said. “We were going to have some fun, but we’re going to win the game.”
Cheryl Ford of the Detroit Shock scored 16 points and grabbed 13 rebounds and Katie Douglas scored 18 points to give the East a 103-99 victory in Washington, its second straight win since losing the first six.
Ford, voted the game’s MVP, hit her first career 3-pointer in the second quarter. She shot 5-for-9 from the field and was 5-for-7 on free throws.
“It was a nice award for me, a nice achievement,” Ford said of being selected MVP.
Tamika Catchings had 15 points and 11 rebounds, DeLisha Milton-Jones and Deanna Nolan scored 11 points each and Asjha Jones added 10 to help the East hold on after nearly squandering a 12-point lead in the final two minutes.
Tina Thompson scored 19 points, Lauren Jackson contributed 14, and Diana Taurasi and Becky Hammon scored 13 each for the West, which had its six-game all-star winning streak snapped last year in New York.
The WNBA announced a new television contract with ESPN/ABC in a landmark deal that will give the league rights fees for the first time.
The eight-year deal, which also includes rights for digital media, will begin in 2009 and go through the league’s 20th season in 2016. The current six-year contract expires at the end of next season.
NBA
Mourning returning to Heat
Alonzo Mourning is coming back, one more time.
Ending nearly three months of suspense about his future, the Miami Heat center said at his annual Zo’s Summer Groove charity game that he will play again next season. It’s a choice he kept secret to the end, insisting he still was deciding hours before the actual announcement.
This was the third straight summer Mourning considered retirement before choosing to keep playing. Next season will be his 15th in the NBA, not including a full year he missed because of kidney problems that led to him getting a transplant in 2003.
“It will definitely be my last year,” Mourning said.
Seattle SuperSonics swingman Kevin Durant, the second overall pick of the draft, scored 28 points in an 84-78 summer-league loss to the Portland Trail Blazers in what was supposed to be a matchup of the two top picks from last month’s draft. However, Portland center Greg Oden left July 8 after two games to have a tonsillectomy.
FOOTNOTES
U.S. softball team blanks Canada
Crystl Bustos and Natasha Watley hit two-run homers and Jennie Finch pitched a three-hitter as the United States advanced to the championship game of the World Cup of Softball with a 7-0 rout of Canada in Oklahoma City. The U.S. will play Japan for the title.
Finch (1-0) struck out eight in six innings. She hasn’t given up a run in her past 19 1/3 innings.
Kansas City Chiefs defensive end Jared Allen, who was suspended the first four games of the NFL season because of two DUI arrests, was informed his suspension was reduced to two games following an appeal.
Craig Coffin kicked a 22-yard field goal in overtime to lift the United States past Japan 23-20 in Kawasaki, Japan, to win the American football World Cup.
Nebraska-Omaha running back Kyle Kasperbauer was named MVP of the game after scoring two touchdowns and rushing for 54 yards on 15 carries.
Timmy Horton earned his first Bassmaster Elite Series victory, finishing with a four-day weight of 83 pounds, 10 ounces, and claiming the $109,000 prize in Plattsburgh, N.Y.
