2B • THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
SPORTS
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WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER4, 2002
HOROSCOPES
Today's Birthday (Sept. 4).
You may feel kind of squished by the project you're given, but it's not more than you can handle. True, it's bigger than anything you've ever tackled before. But the time had to come, and now it's here.
Aries (March 21-April 19). Today is an 8. The dreams that once seemed like impossible schemes are materializing everywhere. All your friends want to help, so organize them, and you'll coach a great team.
Taurus (April 20-May 20). Today is a 6. If somebody insists on getting a specific thing, there's a way it can be done. Consider the cost, weigh alternatives, then suggest they pay for it themselves.
Gemini (May 21-June 21). Today is an 8. You'll save a bundle by doing as much as you can instead of delegating. Don't pay for something that you can figure out for yourself. Follow the directions.
Cancer (June 22-July 22). Today is a 7. Changes to your old routine are happening so frequently, you may not have a routine any more. Add the new improvements and don't worry about it. All's well that ends well.
Leo (July 23-Aug. 22). Today is a 7.
What you lack in experience you can make up for with charm and good luck.
Well, almost. It's a good idea to also do the work you've been assigned.
Virgo (Aug. 23-Sept. 22). Today is a 7. You're rarin' to go, but you may still be unsure of which path to take. You'll increase your income by keeping your promises.
Libra (Sept. 23-Oct. 22). Today is a 9.
Forget about the critics. You're hot, and putting on a stellar performance. Well, don't forget the critics completely. Bow in their direction when you go out for your encore.
Scorpio (Oct. 23-Nov. 21). Today is a 6.
Your friends agree with you, but the boss might not. Better go along with his or her requests, at least long enough to get that paycheck. Be smart.
Sagittarius (Nov. 22-Dec. 21). Today is a 7.
You've probably realized by now that you're not in this battle alone. You have powerful friends. Allow them to comfort and inspire you.
Capricorn (Dec. 22-Jan. 19). Today is a 6.
Don't get distracted by toys and luxuries when you divvy up your funds. You don't need pretentious displays to make people think you're successful. Hidden wealth is more satisfying.
Aquarius (Jan. 20-Feb. 18). Today is an 8. Your chances of making significant progress are good, though negotiation is necessary. Give up something you can do without in order to get an important commitment.
Pisces (Feb. 19-March 20). Today is a 6. Try not to feel overwhelmed. It's good to stay busy, but this is ridiculous. There's more than you can do, so set priorities and delegate.
Venus Williams advances
She had all kinds of problems against Chanda Rubin before emerging with a 6-2, 4-6, 7-5 victory yesterday to reach the quarterfinals for the 18th time in her last 20 Grand Slam tournaments and move closer to another all-Williams final.
The Associated Press
NEW YORK — Here's how Venus Williams responded to a rare challenge at the U.S. Open: She dug in, pulled out a three-set victory, then went right out and practiced.
No room for imperfection for the two-time defending champion.
"Today just wasn't my best day," said Williams, who lost seven more games in that match than in her previous three combined. "I had a lot of short balls that I just missed. It was definitely strange missing those shots, but I tried to stay calm."
She'll play Monica Seles for a semifinal berth. Still grunting on each shot and still hitting with two hands off both wings. Seles beat Martina Hingis 6-4, 6-2 to end Hingis' streak of six straight semifinal appearances at the year's final major. Hingls had ankle surgery in May and made it into the field here as a wild-card entry.
On the other half of the draw, 1998 champion Lindsay Davenport moved into the semifinals by eliminating unseeded Elena Bovina 3-6, 6-0, 6-2 Davenport, playing just her fifth tournament since right knee surgery, capitalized on Bovina's 36 unforced errors.
Against Rubin, Williams bailed herself out with the help of 41 winners and seven aces, snapping one at 121 mph. But she also made 41 errors, had six double faults, had her serve broken five times, and allowed her 25-set winning streak at the Open to end.
Watching from the stands while snapping pictures through a 21/2-foot lens, Williams' father, Richard, wasn't pleased.
When the match ended, Venus Williams walked off court and swung her racket in a forehand motion while looking at her father, as though to say, "I know, I know. We have some work to do." Sure enough, 20 minutes later, she was on an adjacent practice court, hitting while getting instructions from Richard.
"It looks like all her techniques are breaking down." he said.
They might have been going over what went wrong when she was broken three straight times in the second set,
Or what led to the trouble at 5-5 in the last set with Williams facing two break points. But the 14th-
seeded Rubin, who's had two operations on her left knee since January 2001 and appeared to be gasping for air after longer rallies, finally succumbed to Williams' constant pressure.
Of Rubin's seven main draw losses in 2002, five came against players who have been ranked No.1: the Williams sisters, Davenport, and Seles.
Setes figures to get a different test against Venu Williams, who has won seven of their eight meetings, including in the French Open quarterfinals.
Rubin sent a forehand wide on the first break point, then put another forehand into the net to close a 17-stroke rally. She threw her head back, sighed, and staggered along the baseline.
"I had rushed so many shots, missed so many," Williams said. "I was just happy to be able to get through those points."
Up to that part of the match, Rubin's attacking style kept Williams off-balance, though it didn't produce all that many winners: 15.
"I gave myself a chance in the match. As a competitor, you want to go out in every match and do that," Rubin said. "But it's disappointing not to win it when the chances were there. You look up — you're right there for the match."
Williams is always there, particularly when it comes to U.S. hard-court tournaments, where her record is 18-0 in 2002, and has lost just two such matches in the past three years.
She's 58-6 overall this year, with three of the losses to younger sister Serena, who's seeded No.1 at the Open and was to play No.11 Daniela Hantuchova later yesterday for the right to meet Davenport.
Angeles last month. Now Hingis is coming back from ligament damage that one of her doctors said might end her career, and she didn't do much to push Seles off her game yesterday.
Rubin has made quick progress since returning to the tour in May after her second surgery, including victories over Serena Williams and Davenport en route to winning a hard-court tournament in Los Angeles last month.
Hingis also used to be at the top,but the last of her five Grand Slam titles came at the 1999 Australian Open.
It's been 10 years since Seles won her second straight U.S. Open title, and she talked yesterday about how the game has changed.
"The girls started to get bigger, stronger, faster," the 28-year-old Seles said. "You see the girls now are 6 feet tall, have a 100 mph serve — that's the lowest."
Hmmm, sounds a lot like her next opponent
Free for
Um, yeah, is this the number we call to find out who Kirk Hinrich is?
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Yeah, I just called KU Info, and they knew who Kirk Hinrich was; so thanks for nothin' Free for All.
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This is for the person who keeps calling and making all the Kirk Hinrich comments; I don't like you. Unless you are Kirk Hinrich.
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As greedy as major league baseball players and owners are, thank you for not cancelling the season.
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Yeah, we're sittin' here watching the KU/Iowa State football game. It's the middle of the first quarter, and our punter just got us a first down, something all eleven people on our offense can't do.
An all-sports Free for All? I think I might have found my calling in life.
Well, with Terry Allen as the tight ends coach for Iowa State, we at least know what position to gun for with our defense.
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Get Dyer outta there. He couldn't win to start last year, he's not gonna get it this year. Let's start fresh.
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I know that we're gonna have a rebuilding year, but come on, we have to learn how to throw a spiral.
Hey Iowa State, let's play basketball.
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I just finished watching the Kansas/Iowa State game Here we go again.
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So I'm watching the KU football game here, right, and I'm wondering, can we go ahead and put in Kirk Hinrich?
Rideau, get some hands.
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I just wanted to say that I know our football team may suck, but you know what? The band rules, and we kicked Iowa State's ass.
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Yeah, I just wanted to say to the KU football team that they should never give up at the end of a game. That kinda makes people mad. Bye.
ONLINE POLL
kansan.com How many football games will
Kansas win this season?
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RESULTS
Last week's poll: How many seasons will it take Mark Mangino's Jayhawks to win a bowl bid?
3.155 site visitors voted
■ 1 season — 1920 votes, 61%
■ 2 seasons — 276 votes, 9%
■ 3 seasons — 397 votes, 13%
■ 4 or more seasons — 199 votes, 6%
■ it will never happen — 364 votes, 12%
FOOTBALL PICKS
This week The Kansan invites its readers to take on Big 12 football reporter Doyle Murphy to pick the winners of 11 college football games. Anyone who defeats Murphy will be put in a drawing in which five participants will be chosen for weekly prizes including a T-shirt and gift certificate. The winners will also be included in the next week's picks in The Kansan. All entries will be included in the grand prize drawing at the end of the season.
Look for entry forms in The Kansan sports section every Thursday and Friday. All entries must be returned to the Kansan business office by 3 p.m. on Friday.
BIG 12 FOOTBALL Conference standouts take weekly honors
DALLAS — Missouri quarterback Brad Smith and Oklahoma running back Quentin Griffin were named Big 12 offensive players of the week, while Texas linebacke Derrick Johnson and Nebraska cornerback DeJuan Groce nabbed the title on defense and special teams.
Smith, a redshirt freshman, made his college debut by leading Missouri to a 33-20 upset win over defending Big Ten champion Illinois in St. Louis. He became the first freshman to start the season opener at quarterback in Missouri history.
Smith finished with 152 yards passing and 138 yards rushing—third most in history by a Missouri quarterback and averaged 7.7 yards per rush on 18 attempts.
Griffin rushed 17 times for a careerhigh 237 yards in a 37-0 victory at Tulsa. He also notched a career-best run of 50 yards while averaging 13.9 yards per carry. Griffin, a senior, also caught two passes to extend his school record for receptions in consecutive games to 28 and to move into 10th place in Big 12 career catches with 113.
Johnson posted 12 tackles, including seven solo, three tackles for loss (minus 9 yards) and three quarterback pressures to lead Texas to a 27-0 shutout of North Texas. The win was the Longhorns' first shutout in a season opener since 1978.
The Associated Press