Venus Williams beats top 50 opponent for first time in four years

Venus Williams (Anna Bialkowska, Wikimedia Commons)

Venus Williams of Lynwood, California has a spectacular resume. A seven-time major champion, she has won Wimbledon five times (2000, 2001, 2005, 2007 and 2008) and the United States Open twice (2000 and 2001). Yes, we all know that her famous sister Serena has retired, but Venus Williams continues to play tennis at a high level at age 43.

We saw what Venus Williams was still capable of on Monday, when she put together an impressive 7-6, 4-6, 7-6 win over Italy’s Camila Giorgi in the first round of the Birmingham Classic. One reason why this win was so impressive is because this match lasted three hours and 17 minutes. There have been times throughout the last few years where endurance has been an issue for Williams, but not on this day.

A major reason why Williams was victorious came down to the serve. Williams had eight aces compared to four double faults, while Giorgi had three aces compared to 10 double faults. Williams also won 79 points in the match while receiving the tennis ball, compared to only 52 points for Giorgi.

Williams is ranked 697th in the world at the moment. Giorgi is ranked 48th. The last time Williams beat a top 50 player was the first round of the China Open on September 29, 2019. Williams defeated Barbora Strycova of the Czech Republic 6-3, 4-6, 7-5.

Next up in Birmingham for Williams in the second round is 26-year-old Jelena Ostapenko of Latvia, the 2017 French Open champion, on Thursday. Williams has beaten Ostapenko twice before. Ironically, the wins came in 2017. Williams beat Ostapenko 6-3, 7-5 in the quarterfinals of Wimbledon, and then 7-5, 6-7, 7-5 in the WTA Finals in Singapore.

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