Williams falters in sloppy quarterfinal upset

Tape took care of Venus Williams' sprained right foot. There wasno remedy for the shaky serve and late fade.

Williams was injured during the second set Wednesday, but sloppyshotmaking hurt her more, and she lost to Elena Dementieva 6-3, 5-7,7-6 (3) in the quarterfinals of the Nasdaq-100 Open in Key Biscayne,Fla.

A three-time champion at Key Biscayne, Williams came up short inher bid to reach a semifinal for the first time since Wimbledon inJuly. Dementieva survived a match point and erratic play of her ownto win the tense but unsightly 21/2-hour duel.

The upset had all the characteristics of a Venus loss: She double-faulted 11 times, committed 51 unforced …