The Decline of the Williams Sisters in the Women's Professional Tennis World Rankings - 2003-10-01

In the world of professional tennis, American Venus Williams, who has been out of competition since her loss in the Wimbledon final to her sister Serena due to an abdominal injury, will not participate in the upcoming tournament in Filderstadt. Following the Kremlin Cup tournament in Moscow this week, this marks the second consecutive event that Venus will miss. Venus Williams, whose half-sister Yetunde Price was recently murdered in Los Angeles, has now dropped to the number 6 spot in women's professional tennis. Serena Williams, who has also not played since Wimbledon, underwent knee surgery last month and has fallen to number 3, behind Kim Clijsters and Justine Henin-Hardenne from Belgium. The Williams sisters are set to pick up their rackets at the Philadelphia tennis tournament on October 27. Meanwhile, in women's tennis, Anastasia Myskina from Russia has won the title at the Sparkassen Cup in Leipzig, Germany, defeating Justine Henin-Hardenne, the champion of the French Open and the US Open. Myskina, who was considered a third favorite to win this tournament, lost the first set but ultimately triumphed with a score of 6-3, 3-6, 6-3 against her opponent. This marks the fifth title for the 22-year-old Myskina from Moscow, who has a record of 3 wins and 2 losses against Henin-Hardenne. Myskina, currently ranked 10th in the women's tennis world rankings, had lost to this Belgian rival in the quarterfinals of the US Open last month. Myskina reached the Leipzig final after Kim Clijsters, the world number one and a top contender for this tournament, withdrew from their semifinal match on Saturday due to an ankle sprain.