Sport
U.S. Open 2014: Venus Williams proceeds to third round
Venus Williams in action against Timea Bacsinszky. Williams won the match 6-1, 6-4, Wednesday August 27, 2014. PHOTO/Jason DeCrow/AP
Two-time champion Venus Williams is back in the third round of the U.S. Open for the first time since 2010, a year before she announced she had been diagnosed with an autoimmune disease.
The 19th-seeded Williams, at 34 the oldest woman left in the draw, did not need to deal with too much trouble while beating Timea Bacsinszky of Switzerland 6-1, 6-4 Wednesday night.
“Well, now I’m happy. I won a match again. Finally I did something I couldn’t do the last couple years,” Williams said. “That’s good stuff.”
She showed bits and pieces of the type of game that once lifted her to the top of the sport – the No. 1 ranking and seven Grand Slam singles titles, including at Flushing Meadows in 2000 and 2001.
Against Bacsinszky, Williams saved all four break points she faced, converted 3 of 11 she earned, and avoided too many unforced errors, finishing with 12 fewer than her opponent.
“I feel like I’m playing well. I feel like I play my best when my opponent pushes me, really. Once we really start to get into a slugfest, I feel like I really relax. Sometimes I feel like when they aren’t pushing me as much, maybe I’m a little too passive at times,” Williams said.
For a spot in the fourth round, she will need to get past Italy’s Sara Errani. Looking ahead to her matchup against Williams, Errani said: “I’ll definitely have to raise my level of play and hit deep, try to make her move.”
