KEY BISCAYNE, Fla. -- Tension was building in the sibling showdown, with Serena Williams staging a second-set comeback against big sister Venus, when their dad rose from his seat and headed for the exit.
"I really thought I was going to cry," Richard Williams said. "I felt too ugly to be out there crying, so I left."Williams led the cheering at the start of the match Sunday, holding up a sign that read: "Welcome to the Williams show." And he was in his seat at the finish, when Venus completed a 6-1, 4-6, 6-4 victory to win her second consecutive title at the Lipton Championships.
But during the match, Richard's thoughts turned to the poor neighborhood in Compton, Calif., where the family had lived before moving to Florida in 1991. The memories stirred his emotions and sent him through the stadium tunnel for a calming cigarette.
"What was going through my mind was all the problems we've had in tennis, bringing the girls up, how difficult it was, the gang members, all the people out there," Williams said. "I was saying, 'Look where you are today.' It was so difficult for me to believe it."
The only other final between sisters took place at Wimbledon in 1884, and the unusual circumstances took a toll on Venus and Serena. They appeared tense throughout the match and combined for 107 unforced errors.
When Serena's final shot landed wide, Venus' shoulders sagged with relief. There was no show of jubilation, no gesture toward her parents, not even a smile.
Venus, 18, walked slowly to the net and exchanged a somber high-five with Serena, 17. Then Venus put her arm around her kid sister's shoulders, and they walked off the court.
Later, the sisters tried to shrug off the all-in-the-family final as just another match.
"It's not too big," Venus said. "In the end we go home, we live life. You have to be happy after that."
"I wasn't that emotionally involved," Serena said. "After a while you're thinking, 'I can win.' You're not thinking about who you're playing."
Richard Krajicek captured the Lipton men's singles, serving 24 aces in his 4-6, 6-1, 6-2, 7-5 victory over unseeded Sebastien Grosjean. It was Krajicek's first U.S. tournament title since 1993.