Williams to face Davenport in final
Venus Williams beat second-seeded Jennifer Capriati, 6-4 7-6 (7-1) to rach the final of the Pilot Pen Open.
She played the match just hours after she had won a three-set quarter-final over Justine Henin.
Williams will play top-seed Lindsay Davenport in the final after Kim Clijsters pulled out of their semi-final clash with a leg injury.
Williams beat the fifth-seeded Henin 6-3 5-7 6-2 in the afternoon and said fatigue was not a problem.
"I'm just riding on a high," she said. "Jennifer played very well. I had to play my best."
Willliams and Capriati locked up in long baseline volleys throughout the match, but it was Williams' strong service game and range that made the difference.
"I think it's a great match for me because my game is more in tune and it's always great to play a power hitter," Williams said.
Williams pounced repeatedly on Capriati's second serve who held just once in the first set.
Capriati dug in for the second set and rallied from 1-4 to send it to a tiebreaker. But Williams claimed six points in a row from 1-1.
"This is one of the better matches I've seen her play this week," Capriati said.
Clijsters strained her right thigh in Thursday's quarter-final win over Nathalie Tauziat and said it didn't improve overnight.
"I'm sorry it had to end this way," she said. "I think it's the best decision for my health. I'm going to rest for a few days and get a lot of treatment. I hope I can start on Tuesday at the US Open."
