Venus Williams gets her first victory over a top-50 opponent in four years | Tennis News – Times of India

Venus Williams, the former world number one and seven-time Grand Slam champion, secured her first victory over a top-50 opponent in four years at the WTA event in Birmingham. Despite a knee problem that required treatment and left her emotional, Williams fought through the challenges to defeat Camila Giorgi, the world number 48.
The match lasted three hours and 16 minutes, with Williams eventually prevailing with a 7-6 (7/5), 4-6, 7-6 (8/6) victory.
Although she had recently played a grass-court event in the Netherlands, her first tournament since January, Williams displayed some rustiness. However, she also had moments where she found her rhythm and played exceptionally well.
In the final set tie-break, Williams clinched the win by converting her second match point. Her celebration showed her sheer joy and determination, as she raised her arms and pumped her fist while the crowd cheered in delight.
Despite being in the later stages of her illustrious career, Williams still cherishes the experience of winning a hard-fought match, showcasing her passion and resilience.
“This one is especially sweet because I have been away from the tour for so long,” she said. “The last couple of years I’ve had little to no matches and that’s very challenging.
“I almost feel like when I’m on the court I’m reminded of things I used to do that worked really well, so there’s a lot of memories and deja vu.”
Her next opponent will be either Linda Noskova from the Czech Republic or Jelena Ostapenko, the second seed from Latvia.
“Tennis is awesome. There’s so many people that would love to do what I’m doing right now, so I don’t take it for granted,” Williams said. “I faced some huge challenges in the match. I think that brought the emotion out.”
Elina Svitolina, another former top-10 player, had a challenging return to grass at the WTA event. She suffered a comprehensive defeat, losing 6-2, 6-0 to 18-year-old Linda Fruhvirtova from the Czech Republic in less than an hour.
Svitolina had previously made an impressive comeback on clay after giving birth to her daughter Skai in October. She reached the quarter-finals of the French Open, showcasing her resilience and skill on that surface. However, her transition to grass proved difficult, and she was unable to find her footing during the match against Fruhvirtova.
“I was struggling at the beginning and obviously on the grass you have no time to adjust. For me, it didn’t happen today but I’ll go on the practice court and try to do better next time,” she said.
(With agency inputs)