Czech 11th seed beats 45-year-old 6-3, 2-6, 6-1 to reach second round
‘I love playing,’ says 2000 and 2001 champion at Flushing Meadows
On an unforgettable evening in New York, Venus Williams offered yet another demonstration of her perpetual greatness as she battled into the night with Karolína Muchová, making the 11th seed’s life difficult across an intense two hours before falling 6-3, 2-6, 6-1 in the first round of the US Open.
As Williams took the familiar walk through the bowels of Arthur Ashe Stadium and on to the court, the 45-year-old’s latest appearance at her home grand slam tournament occurred on a notable date. On 25 August 1997, exactly 28 years ago, this stadium opened for the first time. Later that day, a 17-year-old Williams was one of the first players to compete on the court as she made her long-awaited US Open debut there, the start of her monumental run to the final.
So much has changed in the three decades Williams has spent playing professional tennis, yet at 45 years old her passion for the sport is undimmed. Here she was again, just as determined to give her all. She found herself in a difficult match up against the 11th seed Muchová, a semi-finalist last year. Things have not been easy for Muchová recently and she is still trying to find her form after a left wrist injury that sidelined her for months but she is one of the most talented players in the sport.
