Serena Williams held up by spirit of Jie Zheng

By Andrew Baker This match looked like a nasty accident in the making: tiny Chinese player ranked 133 in the world taking on big Serena Williams on Centre Court. Double bagel, said a noted tennis sage: 6-0, 6-0. Jie Zheng will be smeared all over the court like jam. She wasn't. Granted, the first set was not the most rampantly competitive tennis you are ever going to see in these parts, but once Zheng got her sights adjusted to the younger Williams' bazooka serve and got some rallies going, she came right back into the contest. Power play: Serena Williams batters back a return during her straight-sets victory over Jie Zheng Serena won 6-2, 7-6 (7-5) in 1hr 25min and enjoyed a thorough workout ahead of her family final with sister Venus. But Zheng added to the army of fans she has recruited during The Championships, here at... [read full story]