Testud's tenacity topples erratic Williams

Venus Williams found life at the top tough yesterday, especially since she is not officially allowed to plant her flag on the summit for three more days and her body was aching and half her mind was already back in Florida, pleading for rest.

Watching the Wimbledon and United States Open champion limp towards her rightful place as the world No 1 evoked mixed emotions – admiration for her determination and pity for her erratic play – and it was almost a relief when Sandrine Testud, of France, put the 21-year-old American out of her misery by winning their Dubai Duty Free Open semi-final, 1-6, 7-6, 6-4, after two hours and 10 minutes.

The 29-year-old Testud, who says this may be her last year on the WTA Tour, is accustomed to putting the evil eye on world No 1's elect, having brought Lindsay Davenport and Jennifer Capriati down to earth in Filderstadt, Germany, on the eve of their coronations.

Testud, who had lost her five previous matches against Williams without winning a set, was not convinced that her opponent was badly handicapped by tendinitis in her left knee and a strained left groin, for which she took an injury time-out at the end of the opening set.

"Did you think she couldn't run?" Testud, the fourth seed, shot back at reporters. "She seemed to run pretty well, especially at the end. She did it so many times in the past. She wins the first set and then she looks as if she can't run any more. Playing Venus is difficult. She hits the ball harder than anybody. She plays by herself in the sense that you only beat her when she makes the errors. You just try to hang in and take your chances. I took my chances today."

Williams, who admitted to being "mentally exhausted" after coming close to losing to Anastasia Myskina in the quarter-finals, having taken the first set against the Russian, 6-0, did not make an issue of her injury problems yesterday – "I don't really want to talk about that" – and gave Testud credit: "She played a lot better. There's nothing I could do about that."

Champions rarely make 14 double-faults, as Williams did yesterday, including three in one game after leading 2-0 in the second set. Williams' second serve on the first point flew over the centre line judge's head and hit his chair. Her second delivery on the seventh point landed a yard in front of her, Sabatini-style. Her winners were unreachable. So were her misses, except by the ball-boys.

Seles, the second seed, a winner in Doha last week, was unable to match the power of Amelie Mauresmo in yesterday's other semi-final. Mauresmo, the third seed, won, 6-4, 6-3, and plays Testud in an all-French final this evening.

* Tim Henman advanced to the semi-finals of the World Indoor Tournament with a straight-sets win over Bohdan Ulihrach, of the Czech Republic, in Rotterdam yesterday. The British No 1 triumphed 7-5, 6-3 to set up a meeting today with Ivan Ljubicic, of Croatia, for a place in tomorrow's final. Ljubicic yesterday beat Ivo Heuberger, of Switzerland, 6-3, 3-6, 6-3.