| Friday, 4 July 2008 Written by Adam Lincoln Lisa Raymond and Samantha Stosur set up a women’s doubles final showdown with Venus and Serena Williams when they beat the defending champions and top seeds Cara Black and Liezel Huber 6-3, 6-3. Although seeded 16th, American Raymond and Australian Stosur are both former doubles number ones. Together, they won the US Open in 2005 and Roland Garros in 2006, and in the first half of 2007 they collected no fewer than five titles on the tour. But when Stosur fell ill and missed most of the second half of the season, rankings suffered. Still, the pair have looked sharp all week, first nullifying their seeding disadvantage with defeat of third seeds Kveta Peschke and Rennae Stubbs in the last 16, then breezing past unseeded Ekaterina Makarova and Selima Sfar in the quarters. In today’s match, they managed to make two of the sharpest reflexes in women’s tennis look sluggish. Black and Huber, Wimbledon champions together in 2005 and 2007 and with a run of 18 consecutive wins on grass, got off to a slow start, with Black broken in the first game when a Stosur forehand clipped the net and skipped over Huber’s racquet. Proceedings were back on an even keel by 2-2 after 34-year-old Raymond lost her serve, but Black’s delivery was soon to cause her more strife. From 40-15 her opponents clawed back to deuce, and Stosur clinched the break when a rifled backhand pass landed on the baseline. Although the Australian dominated much of the play, it was Raymond - winner of the title in 2001 with Rennae Stubbs - who established the first set point against the Black delivery with a smash. But Raymond and Stosur needed three set points to pocket the opener, with Stosur returning low and fast crosscourt to force an error from the incoming server. The second set followed a similar pattern. This time Black struggled but eventually held for 1-1, but, serving again at 2-3, she was yet again foiled by Stosur’s excellent returning. The match favourites had no fewer than six chances to break back with Raymond serving at 4-3, but a shift in momentum did not arrive. Although South African-born Huber was untroubled on serve for 3-5, Stosur was able to close the match out with consummate ease.
| Court 2 - Ladies' Doubles - Semifinals | |
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