Sport
Australian Open: Venus Williams defeats Galina Voskoboeva to advance to round 2
After dropping outside the top 100 following a seven-month layoff due to Sjogren’s syndrome, an auto-immune disease that can cause fatigue, Williams finished in the quarterfinals or better at five of the 10 events she played in 2012 and improved her ranking to No. 24 by year’s end.
It’s been a decade since Williams’ best showing at the Australian Open, which came in 2003 when she lost the final to her younger sister, Serena, who is a favorite to win this year in Melbourne.
Now that she’s back on tour and feeling fit, she’s thinking about extending her career into a 20th season.
“Now I have done a lot of things and I don’t really have anything to prove except for I have my desire to play and to play well,” she said. “That really is what it’s about at this point, is getting the best out of me.”
No. 3-ranked Serena cheered on her sister from the stands. The younger Williams won Wimbledon, the U.S. Open and an Olympic gold in 2012.
Venus could meet Maria Sharapova in the third round at Melbourne Park.
Copyright 2013 The Associated Press
