US counting on sister act

US OPEN champion Serena Williams will play only doubles as the United States take on Russia in the 1999 FedCup final this weekend. Her elder sister Venus and Lindsay Davenport, both eliminated in the semi-finals at Flushing Meadows, will carry the US flag in singles, against Russian number one Elena Likhovtseva and Elena Dementieva, who is playing FedCup singles for the first time.

"I try to go mostly by rankings," US captain Billie Jean King said of a team selection that leaves veteran Monica Seles on the sidelines throughout the two-day tie. "Not always, but mostly by rankings."

Serena Williams, 17, moved up to fourth in the world after her triumph over world number one Martina Hingis of Switzerland last Sunday, one place in front of Seles. But Davenport is still the top-ranked US player at number two, and Venus Williams is ranked third. Venus Williams will open play against Elena Likhovtseva, ranked 17th in the world, today. The matches are being held at the Taube Family Tennis Center on the campus of Stanford University. Williams has won all three of their previous meetings, in Moscow in 1997 and 1998 and at the WTA Tour event here in Stanford in 1998.

After that, Davenport will take on the 68th-ranked 17-year-old, who she has never played before. "I've heard of her, I've never watched her play," said Davenport, who admitted that she had been expecting to play Tatiana Panova. "We'll talk about it tonight and figure out what to do."

Tomorrow, Davenport takes on Likhovtseva in the third singles match, followed by Dementieva v Venus Williams. Then the Williams sisters, who won the women's doubles title at the US Open, play Dementieva and Elena Makarova in doubles.

Russia reached the final by defeating France 3-2 in Moscow in the first round, then ousting the Slovak Republic 3-2 in the semi-finals. The United States blanked Croatia 5-0 at home in the first round then beat Italy in Ancona in the semi-finals.