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Serena Williams (R) and Venus Williams of the United States
show their gold medals at the awarding ceremony of the women's doubles
gold medal of Beijing Olympic Games tennis event in Beijing, China, Aug. 17,
2008. (Xinhua/Xing Guangli) Photo
Gallery>>> |
BEIJING, Aug. 17 (Xinhua) -- The Williams sisters
claimed their second women's doubles gold medal at the Olympic tennis tournament
after beating Spaniards Anabel Medina Garrigues and Virginia Ruano Pascual 6-2,
6-0 in the final on Sunday.
Having won the Wimbledon doubles event last month,
the American sisters were barely tested before beating the Spanish pair in one
hour or so, becoming the second women's doubles team to win two gold medals in
this event following compatriots Gigi Fernandez and Mary Joe Fernandez (1992 and
1996).
The Williams sisters won the women's doubles gold
medal at the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games.
"We were really focused from the very first point. We
really wanted to win and we knew this was a really tough tournament, but we
never gave up. We had to be focused," said Serena Williams after the match.
Coming into the match on a devastating comeback win
over Australian Open winners Alona and Kateryna Bondarenko from Ukraine in the
semifinals, the Williams went into the game with a fast pace, breaking twice in
the fourth and eighth games to take the first set at 6-2.
In the second set, the Spanish duo was again
struggling to find the rhythm with the American sisters taking the second set at
love.
"The Olympics is truly about participation, but it's
also about your moment in time. Today my moment in time was with my sister who I
love almost more than anyone in the world. It's just amazing to think that we
could participate and bring home a gold medal and I am so excited I can't even
speak," said Venus Williams, also the gold medalist in women's singles in Sydney
2000.
"To be honest it does mean more for me to win it with
Serena, to share this kind of moment with your sister. I mean we are practically
joined together, it's really unexplainable. I have chill
bumps."
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Serena Williams (L) and Venus Williams of the United States compete during the women's doubles gold medal match of Beijing Olympic Games tennis event against Virginia Ruano Pascual and Anabel Medina Garrigues of Spain in Beijing, China, Aug. 17, 2008. Serena Williams and Venus Williams won the match and grabbed gold medal in this event. (Xinhua/Zou Zheng) Photo Gallery>>> |