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Tennis: Venus Williams rolls back the years to win Birmingham opener

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Agence France-Presse

<div class="embed-wrap"><figure data-feedback="fb:likes,fb:comments"><img alt="Venus Williams of USA in action against Celine Naef of Switzerland during their women" s="" singles="" first="" round="" match="" at="" the="" Libema="" open="" tennis="" tournament="" in="" June="" Sander="" src="https://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/2023/sports/06/20/20230620-venus-williams-epa.jpg"/><figcaption>Venus Williams of USA in action against Celine Naef of Switzerland during their women&#x27;s singles first round match at the Libema Open s&#x27;-Hertogenbosch tennis tournament in Rosmalen, Netherlands, June 13, 2023. Sander Koning, EPA-EFE.</figcaption></figure></div>BIRMINGHAM -- Venus Williams clinched her first victory over a top-50 opponent in four years as the former world number one defeated Camila Giorgi in the WTA event in Birmingham on Monday.Ignoring a knee problem that needed treatment in the first set and left her close to tears, Williams won a singles match for the second time in nearly two years.The 43-year-old battled to a 7-6 (7/5), 4-6, 7-6 (8/6) first round win over world number 48 Giorgi in three hours and 16 minutes.Williams had played a grass-court event in the Netherlands last week for her first tournament appearance since January and she was understandably rusty at times against Giorgi.But the five-time Wimbledon champion also hit her stride in spells during an enthralling encounter.She converted her second match point in the final set tie-break, holding her arms aloft and repeatedly pumped her fist as the crowd roared in delight.Williams might be well into the twilight of her glittering career, but the seven-time Grand Slam champion still relishes the feeling of winning a hard-fought match.&quot;This one is especially sweet because I have been away from the tour for so long,&quot; she said.&quot;The last couple of years I&#x27;ve had little to no matches and that&#x27;s very challenging.&quot;I almost feel like when I&#x27;m on the court I&#x27;m reminded of things I used to do that worked really well, so there&#x27;s a lot of memories and deja vu.&quot;Williams faces a last-16 tie against the Czech Republic&#x27;s Linda Noskova or Latvian second seed Jelena Ostapenko.&quot;Tennis is awesome. There&#x27;s so many people that would love to do what I&#x27;m doing right now so I don&#x27;t take it for granted,&quot; Williams said.&quot;I faced some huge challenges in the match. I think that brought the emotion out.&quot;There were different emotions for another former top-10 player returning to grass, with Elina Svitolina beaten 6-2, 6-0 by Czech 18-year-old Linda Fruhvirtova in less than an hour.Svitolina made a brilliant comeback on clay following the birth of daughter Skai last October, reaching the quarter-finals of the French Open, but the 28-year-old was unable to find her feet on the grass.&quot;I was struggling at the beginning and obviously on the grass you have no time to adjust. For me, it didn&#x27;t happen today but I&#x27;ll go on the practice court and try to do better next time,&quot; she said.<div>© Agence France-Presse</div>

Venus Williams clinched her first victory over a top-50 opponent in four years when she Camila Giorgi in the WTA event in Birmingham on Monday.