The Associated Press

Anna Kournikova was eliminated in a quarterfinal match against Venus Williams on July 26.

By Jeff Eisenberg

Daily Bruin senior Staff

jeisenberg@media.ucla.edu

PALO ALTO — In a match against Venus Williams, the margin for error is thin. Anything short of perfect tennis merits a handshake and a quick trip to the showers.

That was the story at the Bank of the West Classic as No. 1 Venus Williams swept past defending champion Kim Clijsters 6-3, 6-3 to capture her second tournament title in three years in front of a packed house at Stanford’s Taube Family Tennis Center.

“She’s a really good athlete and a very determined player,” said the 22-year-old Williams, the No. 2-ranked player in the world. “It is not every day that I have such a good day. I thought she played very well today and brought out the best in my game.”

The third-seeded Clijsters was in and out of trouble in her service games throughout the match, and it finally caught up with her in the sixth game of the first set. Down a break point, she hit a routine forehand into the net, giving Williams the first break of the match.

From there, Williams seemed to elevate her game, closing out the first set rather easily and then storming to a 4-0 advantage in the second set. Clijsters rallied to pull within 5-3, but could not hold her own serve in the final game of the match.

“I did what I had to do,” said Williams. “When I got up the double break, it seemed like I could cruise to the victory, but she held on. That is one thing that I respect about her – she tries to the very end.”

What had to be frustrating for Clijsters was how well she played in spite of the outcome. Coming off of a debilitating shoulder injury that has hindered her throughout much of the year, the Belgian superstar made Williams exert a lot of energy, running her from sideline to sideline on almost every point.

“It’s not that I made that many unforced errors,” said Clijsters.

“Against Venus, you feel like every serve has to be placed well and over 90 miles per hour. You have to try to keep her under pressure from the first shot. If she plays her best tennis, it is very tough to beat her.”

The Belgian had six break chances in the match but managed to convert just one of them. Williams had ten double faults including seven in the second set, but always seemed to come up with a big serve when it mattered.

“I think basically it was just my second serve that I struggled with,” said Williams. “Throughout this whole week, (my serve) has really been an advantage getting me aces and helping me set up the point.”

Clijsters agreed, pointing out that the majority of the miscues did not come at important points in the match.

“At the moments where she feels it is necessary, she’d focus a little bit extra,” she said.

“You feel like every shot has to be almost perfect. If you hit a few balls to the same corner, she is there, and then she will smack a winner right by you.”

The tournament championship puts Williams in a good position as she attempts to notch her third consecutive U.S. Open Championship in August.

“It would mean a lot to me to win the U.S. Open,” said Williams. “I’d like to imagine that to beat me a person would have to play almost perfect tennis.”