Posted by Simguy on 8/22/2001, 7:35 pm.

Before: (Key Biscayne, Florida). Big women clash pits maybe the two strongest players in women’s tennis against one another--but experts aren’t giving Mary much chance. “Pierce always comes out like a lion,” says analysts Chris Evert, “but as soon as she tastes Serena’s power, Mary’ll turn kitten. Pierce will do well until she’s hurt, then I’m afraid Serena will mop her up. It’s a shame--Mary’s got some terrific fighting skills for a girl her size, but Serena’s speed, her aggression--it’s too much.” Pierce in in Nike navy sports bra, pale blue sprinters trunks, Serena in snug track two piece, pale blue with yellow side panels, yellow gloves and shoes. Outdoors--ring set up in a large tennis stadium.

During F1: Mary wide-eyed, almost panicky, but controlling her emotions, executing a good, conservative fight plan. Jabs from Pierce, then clinching after both women land clubbing blows as they fall in. Serena with that Tyson look, gloves at her chin, bending side to side, reefing up and under Mary’s ribs as she slips the jab, but Pierce doing a nice job clinching, bodying up, protecting her head. Williams actually held at bay in the final minute as Mary pumps the stick while circling to her left.

R2: Serena turns it up--launching a vicious lead right over the top, then leaving her feet to dig 3 consecutive left hooks hard to the waist. Pierce cratering to the ropes pain-stricken--she’s helpless as Serena goes to work. Merciless body punching has big blonde doubled over, tightly covered up--Serena bending side to side to get inhuman leverage on savage blows. Williams with her chin in Mary’s hair, eyes happy as she plunders her blonde’s torso. Mary clinches for breaks, open-mouthed--psychologically routed although she stays pretty much huddled up in one corner, alternately getting cudgeled or tieing up.; Pierce one of the few strong enough to hold Serena--Williams prevented from really piling on as much as she otherwise would have. After breaks, Serena usually just wades in, often firing a bruising right hand straight under the heart, then reefing left hooks until Mary grapples, Shutout Williams.

R3: Mary on her toes, moves well for a big woman and early on, Serena overextends with a right, gets her feet squared up and Pierce clocks a sweet counter right hand on the chin that momentarily has Williams wobbly butt, Serena not the same after that shot--she comes forward but her thighs are jiggily, she’s bending side to side with gloves at her mouth, but not as sharply--Mary’s able to pick her up with the jab, clinch and turn, then walk Serena into straight right hands or the right uppercut. Nice recovery round for Mary who again looks to be struggling with her emotions in the corner.

R4: pierce continues to execute as Serna wades in without a jab. Mary touching the jab, landing a plunging right hand then clinching very effectively--Serena having difficulty getting off and she’s accepting clinches rather than fighting through them. Pierce using her palms on Serena’s broad shoulders--hindering Williams’ headshots, although exposing ribs and bra to thwacking shots underneath, Holding, reach, jab, and opportunistic right hands are paying off for Pierce as she jigsaws together a lead through 4.

R5: Pierce circling, really labeling Serena’s face with hard right hands off the jab, and the right uppercut is catching Williams flush in the jaw as she barges in only to be smothered. Frustration showing on the youngster’s face and midway through, Serena wrestling with Mary in a brawny clinch--Pierce steps back and walks Williams into a GORGEOUS right uppercut and SERENA GOES DOWN! Vicious bomb has Williams swooning forward then rolling onto her back with a crash--crowd wild as Williams writhes and struggles to get off her back. Serena manages to beat the count, but there’s a minute on the clock and HERE COMES MARY! Pierce pounding Serena at the ropes, slobber knocker hooks on the ear, more right uppercuts and wide right hands on the jaw--Williams; head snapping dangerously back on a loose neck--she’s pushing her gloves straight out, legs locked stiff and SERENA GOES DOWN! Pierce arching her back into a clipping left uppercut under Williams’ outstretched right drops the youngster to one knee--again Willians beats the count but she is ROCKED! Pierce’s best round ever against Serena sends the young phenom quaking to her corner.

R6: Potshotting right hands, punishing jabs, more lateral movement--Mary’s got Serena hunting and breaking down and the blonde keeping her composure. Williams punches sideways and onto her heels at times, but still coming forward--very disciplined clinching by Pierce minimizes any and all Serena offense. Shutout Pierce--Williams lumping up badly around the eyes knows she needs a KO to pull this one out.

R7: Mary continues to do what no one thought she could do--stay tough, stay focused and continue to hit Serena hard without paying too high a price. Williams wobbled repeatedly as she wanders in, catches a big right hand, then accepts the clinch as Pierce holds on for dear life, now Pierce is walking Serena into the ropes, getting big on Williams, out muscling the intimidating youth. Cheek to cheek, Mary pressing Serena into the ropes--girls get into one another’s bulging bras with short, hurtful strokes up inside--all you see is bodies jerking, shoulders and legs flexing as they work in tight.

R8: Quick, clubbing right/left from Serena gets it going--Pierce backs straight up with frightening eyes and Williams PLOWS into ribcage with  a stride-in straight right, Pierce sobbing out from the punishment as Williams fights off the blonde’s chest, keeping her hands in fron instead of reaching around Mary’s back the way she had been--Williams won’t be bogged down this round. Pierce getting butchered inside as one long arm or the other rides uselessly across Serena’s thick upper back.--Williams just working under the blondes reach, slamming away t belly, breasts and ribs with hellish fury. Mary rides rope for all three minutes, sent blubbering back to her corner--trainer work feverishly to calm his ruffled charge down.

R9: First minute sees Mary re-establish the jab, taking a toll on Serena’s poll eyes, but once again, Williams is determined to pay any price. Bobbing underneath the blonde’s arms, Serena comes back with vicouys work to the body, backing Pierce up all over the ring. Mary in headlong retreat now--pausing only to be punished against bthe ropes, then stumbling away as Williams steps with her. At the bell, pierce stretching out her sides in pain--she’s soaked up a tremendous beating in the last couple of rounds.

R10: Serena comes out determined to polish Mary off and puts the blonde on the ropes with a series of lefts and rights up underneath out of the crouch. Pierce reaches for Serena’s shoulders and a bitter struggle ensues--both girls trying to snatch at openings while muscling the other’s arms back--it’s tortuous stuff. Pierce has some good moments at the midway point, wrenching grunts out of Williams with fish-hook right hands to the belly--Serena roaring back with bashing combinations to the sides, finishing up on the ears of the blonde as Mary can’t get off the ropes, Down the stretch it’s all Serena, hooking across the stomach, then getting her back into left uppercuts, bulling Mary into the ropes as the blonde hands on. Goes the distance--comes back UD10 Mary Pierce!

After: Huge upset victory for Pierce who hasn’t had much luck closing out matches against tough comp--this time she stayed on course fought down her panic and managed to take enough out of Serena to survive Williams’ late charge. Serena shaking her head in disgust at the announcement--she knows she’s going to hear it in camp when her dad gets a hold of the tape of this fight. No jab, listless, complacent offense through the first half00doiwn the stretch, Mary had no answer for Serena’s ferocity, but it was too little too late. Also absent the home run shot from Williams--she landed tough to Mary’s body, but give the tall blonde credit--cagey clinchnig and good use of her reach kept Pierce’s suspect chin out of the equation.

Reposted by Archer 12/13/11.