tennis
Venus Williams wins again against top 20 player
Venus Williams reaches the second round at the WTA tournament in Cincinnati. photo
© Graham Hughes/The Canadian Press/AP/dpa
Venus Williams had not won against a top 20 opponent since 2019. Two weeks before the start of the US Open, this dry spell is now over.
Against the Russian Veronika Kudermetowa, who was seeded 16th, the now 43-year-old American won 6: 4, 7: 5 after being 4-1 down in both sets. Since 2019, the seven-time Grand Slam winner had lost ten games in a row against top 20 players.
“I just said to myself: Win this point, not the game, just this point,” said Serena Williams’ sister after her success two weeks before the start of the US Open.
Sloane Stephens also advanced to the second round of the hard court tournament, which is worth around 2.8 million US dollars. She won 7:5, 6:2 against Elisabetta Cocciaretto from Italy and now meets defending champion Caroline Garcia.
For the men, who also stop in Cincinnati on the ATP tour, Felix Auger-Aliassime from Canada defeated the Italian Matteo Berrettini 4: 6, 6: 2, 6: 3.