The Michigan Daily - WednesdaySeptember 4, 2002 - 19 Williams goes three to put down Rubin OSU receiver dismissed NEW YORK (AP) - 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 imerfection for the two-time defending champion. She had all kinds of problems against Chanda Rubin before emerg- ing with a 6-2, 4-6, 7-5 victory yes- terday to reach the quarterfinals for the 18th time in her last 20 Grand Slam tournaments and move closer to another all-Williams final. "Today just wasn't my best day," said Williams, who lost seven more games in that match than in her pre- vious 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 semifi- nal appearances at the year's final major. Hingis 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 performed by the same doctor who rebuilt Rubin's left knee, capitalized on Bovina's 36 unforced errors. Three-time French Open champion Gustavo Kuerten was undone by his 55 unforced errors and lost in the fourth round to No. 24 Sjeng Schalken 6-3, 7-6 (6), 6-7 (5), 7-6 (4). Schalken next plays No. 28 Fer- nando Gonzalez, who beat Arnaud Clement in straight sets. Either Schalken or Gonzalez will be a Grand Slam semifinalist for the first time. Against Rubin, Williams bailed herself out with the help of 41 win- ners 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 2 1/2 - foot lens, Williams' father, Richard, wasn't pleased. "It looks like all her techniques are breaking down," he said. 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 min- utes later, she was on an adjacent practice court, hitting while getting instructions from Richard. They might have been going over what went wrong when she was bro- ken 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. Rubin sent a forehand wide on the first break point, then put another COLUMBUS (AP) - Ohio State head coach Jim Tressel said yester- day that he removed wide receiver Angelo Chattams from the team so Chattams could confront a personal situation in his hometown of Day- ton. Tressel said Chattams had to deal with something that happened in July but said he knew no further details. "The only thing I know is, we had him go home to find out a little bit of what the situation is so that we can respond to it," he said. Tressel said Chattams told him, "that there may be something he had to take care of." He said no further decisions would be made regarding Chattams' status on the team until more infor- mation was known. Tressel called the removal a "dis- traction" but said the eighth-ranked Buckeyes would move on. "It's not unlike a game," Tressel said. "A fumble happens. Some- times you can't find out right there in the game what happened. You've got to go to the next play." The 5-foot-l, 185-pound sopho- more had two catches for 26 yards in nine games last year. He played in Ohio State's season opener against Texas Tech on Aug. 24 but didn't have any catches. The Buckeyes have lost several key players recently. Late last month, fullback Jesse Kline quit the team because of con- tinuing injuries. Flanker Chris Vance and freshman defensive lineman Quinn Pitcock were forced to sit out the Buckeyes' season opener - Vance for an unspecified violation of team poli- cy, Pitcock because he was arrested for underage drinking. Fullback Branden Joe was arrest- ed and charged with drunken driv- ing after police found him asleep in a car about 3:45 a.m. on a highway ramp near campus. He is suspended from the team. AP PHOTO Venus Williams needed to go the distance to take care of Chanda Rubin. She will face Monica Seles for the right to play in the semifinals. forehand into the net to close a 17- stroke rally. She threw her head back, sighed, and staggered along the base- line. "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, particu- larly 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. Classes...Covered Do you Have Acne?.' If you have acne you may qualify for an investigational study at the University of Michigan Department of Dermatology. ¢ You may also receive compensation for your participation. ¢ If you are interested in participating, call the University of Michigan Department of Dermatology to find out more. ¢ The number is : (734) 764-DERM " Coverage for medical services outside of University Health Service (UHS) with reduced copays if treatment is initiated and referrals obtained from UHS. 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