Venus tops Anna in teenage Lipton final

KEY BISCAYNE, Fla. -- Venus Williams can use those beads in her hair to keep track of tournament titles. She's at two, and counting.

Venus reacts after kicking Kournikova's ass in the Lipton Final.

Patient rather than powerful, Williams overcame a slow start to beat Anna Kournikova 2-6, 6-4, 6-1 in an all-teen final Saturday at the Lipton Championships.

The much-anticipated high-noon showdown fizzled from an artistic standpoint, with ragged performances by both players.

But the 17-year-old Williams, who won her first career title at Oklahoma City four weeks ago, continued her rapid rise in the rankings. She'll be a career-high 10th next week.

"I'm coming," she said. "Don't rush me."

Holding the championship trophy, Williams posed for photographers, then waved Kournikova into the picture. They'll both likely remain in the picture for years to come.

Kournikova, 16, won four consecutive matches this week against top-10 players, a feat unprecedented on the women's tour. But her path to the final took a toll, and the young Russian wilted in the sunny, 82-degree weather.

She didn't earn any points for being a graceful loser in her first match against Williams.

"I got a little tired," Kournikova said. "But it's good. She didn't beat me; I lost. That means I'm better a little than her."

That's debatable, but there's no question teenagers dominated the women's draw. Williams' 16-year-old sister, Serena, reached the quarterfinals. Venus beat top-ranked Martina Hingis, 17, in the semifinals.

"It's a good sign for the future," Williams said. "Everyone was exposed to the new girls."

There could be a shakeup on the men's side Sunday, when Andre Agassi seeks his fourth Lipton title against Chilean Marcelo Rios. If Rios wins, he'll become the first No. 1 player from South America, ending Pete Sampras' streak of 102 consecutive weeks atop the rankings.

Kournikova will break into the top-20 for the first time next week at No. 16, and she looked like a No. 1 player in the opening set Saturday. Her tricky slice groundstrokes had Williams so off-balance that the long-legged Floridian seemed to stagger at times, beads clacking as she chased shots into the corners.

Williams' father, Richard, who scribbled signs for the crowd throughout the final two rounds, held up one that said: "About now Venus needs Lipton tea."

"I wasn't ready to play at all," Venus said. "Anna really came out there with a plan to win the Lipton. But slowly I adjusted to it. ... Sometimes people get on fire, and you have to extinguish that."

Kournikova outlasted Williams on a 27-stroke point and broke serve to lead 2-1 in the second set. Then Kournikova's shots suddenly began to land long or in the net.

Williams, who overpowered Hingis, settled for a more cautious approach this time, wisely avoiding mistakes. She totaled only six winners, and 53 of her 77 points came on unforced errors by Kournikova.

"If I was tired, it wasn't important, because I had time to be tired after the match was over," Williams said. "She looked very tired, so I felt that I should just keep the ball in play."

Williams won 12 of 13 points during one stretch. She raised her fist to the sky when she closed out the second set, then raced to a 5-0 lead in the third.

Richard Williams held up another sign: "Go Venus."

His daughter smacked a service winner on match point, then broke into a dance, happily waved her index finger and climbed 10 rows into the stands to exchange hugs with her family, including Serena.

Venus was still smiling an hour later when informed that she had earned $235,000.

"I'm going to buy my dogs a collar," she said.

Kournikova received $120,000 following her first final.

"It was a great week for me," she said.