Photo credit: Rob Stone/@RobStoneTennis
The crocodile on her visor was swimming in sweat as Venus Williams stroked her way toward history.
The 45-year-old Williams built a 4-0 third-set lead, but couldn’t find the closing kick in Melbourne Park tonight.
The crocodile on her visor was swimming in sweat as Venus Williams stroked her way toward history.
The 45-year-old Williams built a 4-0 third-set lead, but couldn’t find the closing kick in Melbourne Park tonight.
Olga Danilovic denied Williams’ dream, reeling off six straight games scoring a 6-7(5), 6-3, 6-4 Australian Open victory.
Twenty-eight years after her AO debut, wild card Williams continues to break barriers in her record-extending 22nd Australian Open appearance.
The seven-time major champion made history as the oldest player to play an AO main-draw match, but certainly this defeat will sting after Williams put herself in position for her first singles win since July.
“Yeah, it was such a great game, such a great moment,” Williams said. “The energy from the crowd was
amazing. That lifted me up so much.
“She played a great game. Also some luck there, as well. That’s just the sport. That’s how it works sometimes. But it was an amazing moment.”
Across the net, Danilovic, who reached the AO round of 16 last year, said she tried to savor the moment and focus solely on the ball.
“Not easy. When we were walking there I told myself before the match I really want to take this moment and I cannot say enjoy, because it’s tough to enjoy, at the moment on court,” Danilovic told Rennae Stubbs afterward. “But you know, these things don’t happen every day. And playing against Venus Williams is something I cannot take for granted.
“But there was a lot of nerves. At 4-0 I just said to myself ‘Okay, just play.’ Just play point-by-point. Yeah, I’m very happy that I managed to get this one, but it was such a pleasure playing against such a legend.”
Credit the left-handed Danilovic, who is 21 years younger than Williams, for continuing to attack her shots and pressing the four-time Olympic gold-medal champion in the crucial longest game of the match.
Deadlocked at 4-all in the decider, the pair played a punishing 15-minute game that really decided the match.
Former world No. 1 Williams held six game points—and saved a break point with an ace—as excruciating tension escalating.
All that good work dissipated when Williams missed a forehand and a backhand ceding the break and 5-4 lead to Danilovic as many in the crowd emitted a collective groan.
Williams said she was more encouraged by her play building that third-set lead rather than being discouraged it all slipped away.
“At 4-Love I felt good. Also it’s the biggest lead I’ve had since I’ve been back. In a lot of ways I’m having to relearn how to do things again, if that makes any sense,” Williams said. “I’m really proud of my effort today because I’m playing better with each match, getting to the places that I want
to get to. Right now I’m just going to have to keep going forward and working on myself and working to control my errors.
“Those are things, too, that come with playing extra matches, like getting your feet in the exact right position, you know, choosing the right shots, all of those things that I’m still learning. It’s kind of weird, but it’s super exciting to have played that well and to get myself in that position and come very close.”