European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - July 8, 2007, Darmstadt, Hesse                              And stripes edition july 2007 Venus Williams wins 4th Wimbledon title fou time defending Champion Federer to play for mens Crown the associated press England Venus Williams giggled As she clutched the championship Tro Phy against her threw Back her head and whooped at the winning Wimbledon never gets Williams won Tennis most prestigious tournament for the fourth time beating surprising finalist Marion Bartoli it was Williams sixth grand slam her first since win Ning Wimbledon in she was also the Champion at the Allen gland club in 2000 and at Williams became the lowest ranked women Winner in Wimbledon plagued in re cent years by injuries that sent her ranking she Redis Cov Tennis scoreboard Wimbledon saturday at the All England Lawn Tennis croquet club England purse million grand slam surface grass outdoor singles men semifinals Roger Federer Rich Ard Gasquet Rafael Nadal Novak Djokovic women championship Venus Williams United Marion Bartoli doubles men semifinals Bob and Mike Bryan United Fabrice and Nenad Zimon Jim 76 Arnaud Clement and Michael Llodra Marcelo Melo and Andre Bra 76 women semifinals Cara and Liezel Huber South Alicia and Mara Santangelo Katarina and Ai Sug iyar a Lisa United and Samantha Stosur ered her championship form this week on the surface that always seems to inspire her Best it has been a Long Road Williams said during the trophy i brought it together Here against some of the Best players in the including she lost Only 22 games in her final four beating 2004 Wimbledon Champion Maria Sharapov on 2004 open Champion Svetlana Kuznetsova on thursday and French open runner up Ana Ivanovic on Williams is the fourth woman in the open Era to win four More Wimbledon singles joining Martina Navratilova Steffi Graf 7 and Billie Jean King King also won Wimble Don singles titles in be fore the open Era began in on Roger Federer will seek his fifth consecutive Wimble Don title against Nemesis Rafael Nadal in a rematch of last years Federer reached his ninth consecutive major final saturday by defeating Richard Gasquet it has become sort of a Rou but in still so excited to be Back in the said who beat Nadal to win last years title but lost to the spaniard in the past two French open Nadal set up a Wimbledon re match when 4 Novak Djokovic withdrew while trailing 41 on in going to have a very difficult match but in going to try my a three time French open Champi Federer Victory was his 53rd straight on he finished Kirsty Venus Williams returns to Frances Marion Bartoli during the women singles final ranked 31 in the became the lowest ranked women Champion in Wimbledon history with a 61 Victory Over who was playing in her first grand slam with 20 including one on a second serve in the final game of the Gasquet matched Federer for most of the first but the to ranked Swiss player saved All three break Points he including two at Federer saved the first with an Ace and the next with a forehand Winner before winning the next two including those four Federer won 44 of the final 54 Points on his the 25yearold who is the oldest of the four mens is trying to win a fifth consecutive Wimbledon something Only Bjorn Borg has done in the past 100 Williams resurgence was reminiscent of the run to this years australian open title by her Sis who entered that tournament ranked Venus expressed gratitude to her sister among others during the Tro Phy she inspires Venus the australian open Champion i wanted to be like while the tournament was plagued by rain for much of the past two the final took place right on schedule and in warm the Best weather of the Williams served out the first game at then broke serve when Bartoli they played 19 minutes before Bartoli won a game to make it prompting cheers of encourage ment from a Centre court crowd eager for a competitive and it was for a the playing in her first grand slam settled Down to reach but she Dou ble faulted for the fourth time for set and Williams converted by charging Forward to put away a backhand she kept up the pressure to Start the second winning the first three both players then requested medical timeouts Bartoli to have her left foot re Williams to have her upper left thigh Venus play some unbelievable Bartoli i she reached some balls like i never see one person reach some Ball like that on a Tennis and she would even hit it harder Back to she served 120 Miles on first sometimes it was hurting my wrist so because the Ball was coming so fast to so i re ally try my Best i and i play a great but at the end she was just too with Wimbledon paying equal prize Money to men and women for the first time this will iams won Bartoli received Williams has been among the most vocal proponents of equal prize she broached the subject during the trophy Ceredo paying tribute to Billie Jean Kings role and prompting a Roar of Delight from the thank All England club were playing under equal she Woods stays in Hunt at congressional the associated press no running away from Tiger especially when Hes the Host of the the worlds to ranked golfer was 11 strokes off the Lead at one Point Friday and flirted with miss ing the Cut before a Birdi Bird i Birdie yet the galleries followed him with a thanking him for choosing the Washington area to stage an event with his name on the other golfers paid Atten they know that As Long As Woods is in the he can he finished with a Sec Ond round 66 tying for Best round of the Day and was six strokes off the Lead at the mid Point of the he does it All the said Billy who was tied for third after Bac Toback Hes obviously the and he always comes Hes always there even when you dont think Hes Hes and Hes going to be lurking hell be right there at the the leaders were Stuart Apple by and who somewhat tamed the Blue course at con Gressional country club with scores of 66 and 67 in the first two Craig Robert Garrigus and Andrade were three shots off the Pace at 4under you can look at it one Way or the other and Tiger Woods is chasing somebody or chasing us Down or chasing me Appleby or you can turn around and i expected him to and that just the Way it is and that makes you concentrate More on your own for the turnaround from a miserable 73 on thursday was he made Only two bogeys instead of he needed Only 25 putts instead of he didst have a he made six putts longer than 8 feet including a 22footer at 12 after missing everything from 8 feet and beyond the Day his secret he put some Lead tape on his forcing him to put More oomph his stroke after leaving so Many putts Well Short of the Hole in his first made it a Little bit Woods because the greens were a touch on the slow champions tour at Tom Watson made four straight birdies on the Way to a 6underpar 66 in the second round of the senior open on moving to 8 under for the tournament and taking a three shot Lead Over five taking advantage of relatively Calm wind at whistling Watson made eight birdies on Fri accurate approach shots and his famed Short game played a key role in his string of four in a which came toward the end of his first Watsons closest pursuers at 5 under were Loren Des Lonnie Ben Cren Shaw and Vicente first round Leader Eduardo Romero had a rough afternoon capped by a triple bogey on the 18th finishing 5 Over for the Day and 1 under teeing off from the Back Watson began his Birdie Binge on the par4 where he put a Chip shot within 12 feet and made the pea Europe at ire Soren Hansen of Denmark birdied four of the last five holes for a 7under 63 and a two stroke Lead after three rounds of the european the 33yearold second in last weeks French was at 10under at 202 was Rob Ert who shot 66 Peter who also shot was another stroke behind and tied with Peter Hanson Gregory Havre 68 and niclas fasth Hanson made a Hole none on the 173yard 18th with a Nick Tiger who took 34 putts in his first round weighted his Putter with Lead tape before the second round and shot 66