Venus Tired of Being Beaten By Younger Sister

Although the Williams sisters were frequently lumped together as a sort of tennis package at the outset of their careers, the differences between the two have come into ever sharper focus over the past six months - notably since Serena beat Venus in the three consecutive grand slam finals starting with last year's French Open.

Prior to that Venus, having won both Wimbledon and the US Open twice, had underlined her authority as the elder of the two, and the fascination of this year's Australian Open is whether she can regain her status as the senior player. For there is no doubt that Serena's domination has made life hard for Venus.

"Last year was tough. I think I was always mentally and physically tired by trying to go the extra mile to do my best. I didn't really want to go out and practise all the time," she said yesterday after reaching the last 32 with a 6-1, 6-4 victory over Anca Barna of Germany.

"I enjoy tennis a lot when I'm winning, but when things get a little tight I tend to be a little bitter about my performance. That's natural."

What is not natural is to be beaten regularly by your younger sister, and there seems no doubt that should this continue then Venus may decide, sooner rather than later, to quit, something her father, Richard, has always urged her to do. "If I'm not enjoying my tennis then I'll definitely take a step back and re-evaluate my life. But I do not spend a lot of time feeling sorry for myself."

Serena has always been the more gregarious of the two. "I like to study and have my books and be at home, while Serena goes off to visit friends and does a lot more extracurricular activities. I do a lot too, but I guess they are more academically oriented," said Venus, who also highlighted their differences in playing styles.

"I like to mix it up a little more and play with a little less power. Serena just likes to take it to her opponents and make them answer."

The answers that Venus came up with at Roland Garros, Wimbledon, and Flushing Meadows last year were clearly not good enough, and her form here has been somewhat erratic.

Having dominated the first set against Barna she then trailed 4-1 and 0-40 in the second, before rapidly turning it around. "It was a little hot out there, and I didn't want to go into a third set," she said.

There were easy wins for Belgium's Justine Henin-Hardenne, the No5 seed, and Daniela Hantuchova of Slovakia, seeded No8. Henin now plays the No9 seed Lindsay Davenport for a place in the quarter-finals, with the American holding a 5-0 career advantage. The last time they met, in Zurich last year, Henin accused Davenport of faking an injury, something which will add considerable spice to tomorrow's match.