Steady and sloppy
ALBERT Costa won the French Open on Sunday, using steady tennis and benefiting from the error-filled play of fellow Spaniard Juan Carlos Ferrero for a 6-1, 6-0, 4-6, 6-3 victory.
To celebrate the biggest victory of his career, Costa immediately fell to the red clay and rolled over on his back. "I didn't know what to do. I said, 'OK, I'm going to rest a little bit,' because I was completely dead," Costa said.
"When I was there, I was thinking, 'Did I win?'"
Yes, he did, finally capturing a Grand Slam title on his 26th try. And his first tournament title of any sort since August 1999 was a great way to start one of the most memorable weeks of his life. He will be married on Friday.
Costa, who will turn 27 later this month, had never gone past the quarter-finals at Roland Garros until this year, his ninth appearance at the French Open.
The 22-year-old Ferrero was playing for just the third time at Roland Garros and made the semi-finals in his first two tries, but he made 60 unforced errors to only 48 for Costa.
Ferrero, who sprained his ankle during practice early in the tournament, said it limited his mobility. He also was bothered by a sore abdominal muscle. "I couldn't play better than I did the first two sets," Ferrero said. "I thought I could pull it out. He did a lot of drop shots and I missed them. I think it was one of the keys to the match."
On Saturday, Serena Williams stopped older sibling Venus 7-5, 6-3 at Roland Garros in a final that was far more competitive, if just as sloppy, as their championship match at the US Open nine months ago.
Although they combined for 101 unforced errors, 14 double faults and 13 service breaks, Venus, thought the match was picture-perfect. She grabbed their mother's camera and joined the horde of photographers snapping shots of Serena holding the shimmering trophy.
"Hopefully, we can build a rivalry and we'll be able to do this a lot," said 20-year-old Serena, 15 months younger than Venus. "Make a legacy, then retire as champions."
Serena, above, collected her second Grand Slam title -- the other was the family's first, at the 1999 US Open. Venus won Wimbledon and the US Open each of the past two years, meaning a Williams has captured six of the past 11 majors.
"I didn't want to be a one-hit wonder," Serena said. "I had to get it again."
In Monday's new rankings, Venus was No 1 and Serena No 2, the first siblings to sit 1-2. That means they will be seeded No 1 and 2 at tournaments, potentially setting up more finals, including at their next event, Wimbledon.
They share the tour lead with four titles apiece in 2002, and their combined career earnings now top $17 million.
After saluting the crowd in French, Serena switched to English to thank "Venus for supporting me all the way and just being the best sister in the whole world".
Virginia Ruano Pascual and Paola Suarez won their second consecutive French Open doubles title on Sunday, beating the top-ranked team of Lisa Raymond and Rennae Stubbs, 6-4, 6-2.
"We've played together for 10 years," Pascual said. "We know every move on the court. I know what Paola is going to do, and it's the same for her."
Raymond and Stubbs have won three Grand Slam doubles titles, including last year's US Open
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