By Chris Oddo | @TheFanChild | Monday August 14, 2023
Venus Williams battled past Veronika Kudermetova for her biggest win in four years.
Photo Source: TTB
Venus Williams is back in the winner’s circle again.
The 43-year-old legend notched a 6-4, 7-5 win over 16th-seeded Veronika Kudermetova on Center Court at the Western and Southern Open.
“I love this game,” beaming Williams told the crowd. “It’s what I do. The last few years have been difficult in terms of injuries, and I want to be here and be myself – that’s important to me and I’m trying to get there.”
Williams, who snapped a 10-match losing streak against the Top-20, battled from double break down in both sets against the World No.14 to earn her first Top 20 win since 2019.
In a match that was twice interrupted by rain, the seven-time major champion hit nine winners against 15 unforced errors, while Kudermetova struggled to make the mark, hitting 16 winners against 33 unforced errors.
Williams is making her tenth appearance at Cincinnati – she reached the semifinal in 2012 – and will face either Zheng Qinwen or Aliaksandra Sasnovich in round two.
533rd-ranked Williams improves to 3-5 on the season.
More to follow...