Venus Williams is back on the court. And not just to play, but to win. Almost two years later, the US champion once again imposed on one of her opponents, after doing it at Wimbledon 2021 for the last time. A joy for all tennis fans to see this epochal champion flying on the court again.
Despite age and physical problems, Serena Williams’ sister still wants something from tennis. And she can still give a lot to tennis. For all young fans, insiders, and all young tennis players, seeing Venus play tennis is like a sports and life lesson.
Like visiting a museum full of masterpieces. The challenger was countrywoman Katie Volynets, 21, venue Auckland. Venus, who earned a wildcard entry to the main draw of the ASB Classic, kicked off her campaign with a 7-6 (4) 6-2 victory.
Venus Williams who was a two-time finalist in Auckland: in 2014, when she was runner-up, and the following year she won the title. The US tennis star said: “This is one of my favorite places, I was so excited to get here,” enthused the 7-time Grand Slam champion.
I am happy to have achieved a victory today against a great opponent.”
Venus Williams on the court: what a joy for tennis
Venus Williams’ winning advance, however, came to a screeching halt during the first set tie-break, when the match was suspended due to rain.
Which, on Venus’ own admission, particularly bothered her. She told: “It’s hard when you’re all excited and suddenly you have to stop. I was so angry during the rain interruption. My coach could barely talk to me so I will try to improve my attitude.”
There were no break points until the ninth game, when Volynets broke Venus Williams to take a 5-4 lead. But when it came time to serve for the first set, Volynets suffered a counter-break from Williams, who recovered and took the first set to a tie-break.
In the tiebreaker, Volynets had a 3-2 lead before Venus Williams answered by winning four straight points to take a 6-3 lead. The Grand Slam champion then failed to convert her first set point, but she scored her second point to take a hard-fought first set.
After battling through the first set, Venus Williams started the second set with three straight breaks and a 5-0 lead. Serving for the match in the sixth game, Williams was unable to close out the match, as Volynets recovered a break to cut the deficit to 5-1.
In the seventh game, however, Williams broke Volynets again to complete the work. In the next fight, Venus Williams will face the Chinese Lin Zhu.
