It's Serena Versus the World, and Serena Is Winning

MELBOURNE, Australia — Serena Williams is in the Australian Open final, which means every tennis commentator on the planet, including yours truly, has eaten his words these past two weeks — twice over, with a heavy dose of hot sauce. Williams hasn't been shy about pointing it out.

"Ever since I was young, even when I came on tour, it was, Venus, Venus, Venus, Venus," she said after defeating Nicole Vaidisova in the semifinals, 7–6(5), 6–4. "Oh, and the little sister. My whole goal in life was just to prove people wrong. And that's one thing I enjoy so much."

Serena's father, Richard Williams, always talked her up, and many observers, perhaps even most, fancied her game — more fluid, superior serve, better technique — over her sister Venus's. But that's irrelevant. Williams believes the world is against her, and it's working for her. After her semifinal win, the Australian press provided more fuel in the form of endless questions about whether one of Williams's guests had used his watch to reflect sunlight into Vaidisova's eyes during the match. It's the sort of inquiry on which Williams thrives.

"I never saw the glare," Williams said Friday morning. "Vaidisova said she never saw the glare. What more is there to say? As of now, I'm not answering any more questions about a god-dang watch. This is stupid."

Williams is playing at perhaps 70% of her maximum, and no one who sees her today can say she's in anything more than adequate shape compared to four or five years ago. Her confidence is high, however, and a woman of her talents can win a lot of matches just by believing she can.

"When I play well and do the things I need to do, it's really hard for anyone on the women's tour to beat me," she said.

Several women have come close this week, but none has had the strokes, or the heart, to finish the job. The one with the best chance, Maria Sharapova, will get the last shot at her.

Sharapova finally found her form on Thursday against Kim Clijsters, who played beautifully at the start of this tournament and terribly at the end. Like Williams, Sharapova could have lost early. She beat 100-degree heat, and a fit opponent, in the first round. Like Williams has done so many times these past two weeks, she won not with her shots, but because she competes relentlessly for every point.

It ought to be a fine match. Sharapova has far more to lose. She's the no. 1 player in the world now, and she's the one who lost to Williams in the 2005 semifinal here after holding a match point (Williams eventually won the title). She's known, rightfully, as one of the toughest competitors on tour, one of two women (the other being Justine Henin-Hardenne, who formally announced her separation from her husband this week) who can rival Williams's spirit and intensity. Yet she has worked a lot harder than Williams these past few years, and played a lot more matches. It's Sharapova's time; on paper, she should win hands down. It will be interesting to see how well she holds up under the pressure.