Venus Williams' return to the tour after a prolonged illness break has taken a dramatic turn this week, as she has fought her way to the Sony Ericsson Open quarterfinals. After a straight-set victory over Kimiko Date-Krumm in the first round, Williams knocked out 3rd seed Petra Kvitova, handing Kvitova a 6-0 final set. In the next round, the former Miami champion was in visible pain as she struggled with a calf injury, but she got past Aleksandra Wozniak. Williams was down 2-4 in the third set, and she had to save a match point, but she prevailed, 4-6, 6-4, 7-6 against the Canadian wild card.
Tonight, Williams' pain appeared to be a thing of the past as she hit 13 aces in her fourth round match against 15th seed Ana Ivanovic. This one went to three sets, too, and Williams advanced to the quarterfinals with a 6-7, 6-2, 6-2 victory. Her next opponent will be Agnieszka Radwanska, and Williams will undoubtedly enjoy a wave of crowd support in Miami.
Congrats again Vee! Job well done
ReplyDeleteGiven the nature of Venus' illness, winning 2 long 3 setters was quite the feat. She said she wanted to come back when she felt ready to play and it seems like did just that. She looks healthier and is thinking her way out of trouble better. A good return!
ReplyDeleteI was worried about that leg, but she seemed fine last night. I'm glad she waited to come back.
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