Zheng/Yan dispatch Williams sisters to keep Open hope
January 23, 2008

 

Melbourne : Serena and Venus Williams were sent packing from the women's doubles at the Australian Open on Tuesday, beaten 3-6 6-4 6-2 by former champions Yan Zi and Zheng Jie of China in the quarter-finals.

The American sisters, unseeded this year, looked on course for victory when they won the first set but were then completely outplayed by the seventh seeds in a match lasting just under two hours.

Zheng and Yan won at Melbourne Park in 2006 and at Wimbledon in the same year but said that their victory over the Williams sisters was perhaps even better.

The Chinese will now play 12th seeds Victoria Azarenka of Belarus and Israel's Shahar Peer in the semi-finals.