Serena fulfils her pledge

PARIS: Four months after promising to rectify an anomaly that occurred at the Australian Open, Serena Williams has kept her word.

In January, the US did not have a seeded player in the women''s draw of a grand slam for the first time ever. Williams, coming back from a four-month injury layoff, had entered the Australian draw ranked 81st in the world.

After pledging on the eve of the tournament that "it won't happen again, at least as long as I'm playing" she proved an astute soothsayer since her remarkable run to the Melbourne Park title propelled her up the rankings.

Now standing eighth in the world, she mulled over suggestions that American women's tennis was in decline as only 10 players -- compared to 17 from Russia -- made it into the 128-strong French Open draw.

"I think 10 is a lot maybe, but maybe for the size of our country, maybe it's not," the eight-times major champion said after reaching the second round at Roland Garros where she is seeded eight.

"The main factor is that there are hardly any tournaments in the United States."

The Americans have had a torrid time over the past year. For the first time since the inception of WTA computer rankings in 1975, the U.S. did not have a player inside the world's top 10 in late August 2006.

By the end of the year, there were none in the top 20. Injuries to Serena and sister Venus, a five-times slam winner, did not help though Serena has surged back.

She earmarked Vania King, Jamea Jackson and Shenay Perry as good future prospects but while both Williams sisters had contested grand slam finals aged 17, King, Jackson and Perry have all turned 18 without achieving any major breakthrough.