Serena struggles against unknown Russian
Serena Williams was not quite sure how she survived one of the longest matches of her career on a chilly, windy day at the Caja Magica.
But after a 3-hour, 26-minute battle against Russia's Vera Dushevina, which she pulled out, 6-7, 7-6, 7-6, Serena said it was "all about looking to the future."
Last week in Rome - her first tournament since winning the Australian Open - Williams lost in the semifinal from match point up. This time, she came through from match point down, which was some kind of improvement, although 72 errors should go down as a worry.
Amazingly, although this was her second appearance here at the Mutua Madrilena Open, she professed not to have realized that Madrid is situated about 3,000 feet above sea level - a geographical detail that results in sending tennis balls flying through the air faster than usual.
That, presumably, was responsible for some of the balls that flew into the net or wide of the sideline at inopportune moments but, to be fair to her opponent, many of Serena's problems were caused by the Russian's Nadal-like refusal to let any ball get past her.
http://www.foxnews.com/sports/2010/05/10/serena-struggles-unknown-russian/