Francesca Schiavone wins exhibition
MILAN -- Francesca Schiavone defeated both Venus and Serena Williams in singles on Saturday before they rallied to win the doubles in an exhibition in Milan.
Schiavone defeated Venus 7-5, 7-3, then countered a strong comeback from Serena to defeat the younger sibling 7-3, 8-10, 8-6.
Flavia Pennetta also beat Venus, whose strap broke on her dress before a sellout crowd of 11,000. Venus dashed off the court and returned in her third outfit of the event. She also brought popcorn to share with Pennetta, who won 7-6, 7-2.
Serena defeated Pennetta 6-8, 7-3, 7-3 before the Williams sisters won the doubles 3-7, 8-6, 8-6.
The Italian pair delighted the crowd in the warmup by dancing to Michael Jackson's "Thriller."
Venus has played just once since pulling out of the U.S. Open three months ago because of an immune system disease. Venus defeated Serena in an exhibition match in Colombia last week.
Copyright 2011 by The Associated Press
MORE TENNIS HEADLINES
- Serena: Back much improved entering French
- French draw puts Djokovic, Fed on same side
- U.S. qualifier Baker, Almagro set for Nice final
- Schiavone, Cornet to battle for Strasbourg title
MOST SENT STORIES ON ESPN.COM
MORE FROM THE WEB
Connect with Facebook to share your ESPN activities. Learn more »
Learn more- Social Sharing ON ▼
- ON OFF ▼
- Remind me every time I add an event to my Activity
- My Activity ▼
- Recently shared to your timeline:
Share ESPN with your friends
Your friend shared this story on Facebook. Share ESPN with your friends to see everything they're reading and watching, and then share the latest news about the sports and teams you care about most!
