No illness, lack of match play or low ranking can take away from Venus Williams, seven-time Grand Slam champion and three-time winner of the Sony Ericsson Open. After routing Kimiko Date Krumm 6-0 6-3 in the first round, practically Williams’ first match in seven months, the former world No.1 eliminated third seed Petra Kvitova in the second round, 6-4 4-6 6-0.
The first set went with serve until the last game when Williams broke to take the set 6-4. In the second set, Kvitova made a crucial break to lead 3-2, and eventually 6-4. In the deciding set, however, Williams was relentless, routinely winning Kvitova’s service games and bageling the Czech in 34 minutes.
“The third set was very cruel for me,” Kvitova said after the match. While Venus, currently ranked 134th, said: “I actually didn’t really realize the third set was 6-0… I was just trying to win the match, trying to get to six.”
This Williams’ victory is significant for one more reason – it’s her 600th career win. (photo: © Neal Trousdale)
Although Venus is a great champion and everything, i’m just really disappointed by Petra’s achievements this years, i think all of us were expecting more. I think she is at her peak better player than Azarenka, but right now she needs to solve some things in her head. I hope that will be soon.
congractulation to venus she deserves the best:) she works very hard to be in this position… Surely the williams sisters will be remembered as a legends:)
True, Mirjana, but perhaps we should take this result with a grain of salt, knowing that she has always performed badly in Miami, due, so they say, to the high air humidity which doesn’t help with her alleged asthma.
What a win from Venus. I would not blame the conditions, Kvitova was just outplayed.
Were you there, Marine (since there was no TV coverage)? Anyway, my long sentence was formulated carefully enough (“perhaps”, “so they say”, “alleged”), wasn’t it. One thing stands, though: Kvitova *has* performed badly in *all* her appearances in Miami. Not arguing, just sayin’…
I read comments on tennisforum from person who was there and also read the commentary from journalists.