Hectic schedule tougher on Venus than first round

Thursday, July 28, 2005 | 9:21 a.m.

SUN WIRE SERVICES

Venus Williams has taken 11 flights since her thrilling Wimbledon title 3 1/2 weeks ago, making media appearances all over the country and launching a new reality show with sister Serena.

So it's no wonder she barely had time to prepare for her latest event. She crammed in a couple practice sessions early in the week and called that good enough.

Williams still had a fairly easy time in her first tournament match since leaving the All England Club, defeating Sania Mirza 6-3, 6-2 Wednesday night to advance to the quarterfinals of the Bank of the West Classic.

"Where did my vacation go?" Williams said, chuckling. "It's been really tough. I definitely would have liked to have a break. ... I'm always ready, ready for whatever comes at me. I feel like I've seen it all at this point."

Williams didn't show the same dominant form that helped her win Wimbledon earlier this month for her first major championship in four years, but she rode her powerful serve for easy points against the 18-year-old Mirza.

Williams hit three straight aces in her first service game of the second set: at 109 mph, 115 and 106, then pounded a 116-mph first serve to finish it. She hit two more aces in her next service game -- both clocked at 108 -- and a 121-mph first serve to end that game.

"My serve definitely picked up," Williams said. "I played a lot better than I expected, but I also didn't feel I played that well."

Xavier Malisse of Belgium upset the fourth-seeded Haas, who won the tournament championship last year, 1-6, 6-3, 6-4, behind an overpowering serve.

It's only the third time in 11 meetings Haas has lost to Malisse.

Agassi and Dominik Hrbaty are the only seeded players remaining in the tournament.