By Howard Fendrich
Associated Press
PARIS ó Serena Williams says women’s tennis is better than men’s tennis for one simple reason.
“I mean, it’s way cattier,” Williams said, “so it’s way more exciting to watch.”
The match Williams played Monday at the French Open was hardly filled with intrigue because she was so superior to her opponent. After struggling in two earlier matches that lasted three sets each, the second-seeded Williams reached the quarterfinals with a 6-1, 6-2 victory over No. 24 Aleksandra Wozniak of Canada.
“My most focused match so far,” said Williams, who stretched her Grand Slam winning streak to 18.
During her news conference, Williams made the case for which gender makes for the more interesting tennis.
“We’re so passionate about whatever we do,” she said. “Maybe that makes it way more intense. We have so many great personalities right now on the women’s tour.”
She mentioned as one example Jelena Jankovic, the woman Williams beat in the 2008 U.S. Open final. The fifth-seeded Jankovic ó always quick with a smile during a match and a quip after one ó was upset by 41st-ranked Sorana Cirstea of Romania 3-6, 6-0, 9-7 later Monday.
Cirstea now faces No. 30 Samantha Stosur, a 6-1, 6-2 winner against Virginie Razzano in the last women’s fourth-round match.
First on court in the morning, Williams needed merely 53 minutes to win. She took a 3-0 lead in six minutes.
Next up for Williams is a match against 2004 U.S. Open champion Svetlana Kuznetsova, who outlasted 12th-seeded Agnieszka Radwanska 6-4, 1-6, 6-1.