By Chris Oddo | @TheFanChild | Sunday February 7, 2021
40-year-old Venus Williams defeated Kirsten Flipkens and became the second-oldest woman to win a match at the Australian Open.
Photo Source: Tennis Australia
Score another milestone for the great Venus Williams. The legendary American achieved a remarkable feat on Monday at the Australian Open by becoming the second-oldest woman to ever win a match at the tournament.
40-year-old Williams, who defeated Kirsten Flipkens, 7-5 6-2, is now the fifth-oldest woman to ever win a match at a Slam, behind Martina Navratilova, Renee Richards, Betty Pratt and Kimiko Date.
How did she feel about the victory?
“Oh, my gosh, great,” she said. “Winning is always fun. Never easy. She's definitely tricky. We've had some great battles in the past, as well.”
Even her kid sister Serena couldn’t help but be inspired. Serena spoke about her after notching a 6-1 6-1 victory over Laura Siegemund on Day 1.
“She's such an inspiration because she never gets frustrated about her situation, health-wise,” Serena said. “She's always looking on the bright side. Then she works so hard. Yeah, she's been great. We were hitting partners for the first two weeks, two and a half weeks, since we were here in Australia. It was so good to train with her. It was so good every day. It's also very inspiring because she still pushes me on a level that no one's able to push me, so it was incredibly helpful.”
Williams will face qualifier Sara Errani in the second round. Williams owns the 3-1 lifetime edge but the pair have not met since 2014.