STUMBLING AT FIRST HURDLE
Williams sisters go head-to-head and Venus comes out on top
SERENA Williams’ return to tournament tennis came to an abrupt end on Monday as she crashed out of Indian Wells with a 6-3, 6-4 loss to her sister Venus.
Venus closed out the 29th career meeting between the two on her second matchpoint as Serena sailed a forehand long to end the third round match in front of a main stadium crowd of about 13 000.
It was the first meeting between the sisters since they clashed in the final of the 2017 Australian Open, which Serena won before taking a 15month hiatus due to her pregnancy. Serena said she is still easing her way back into match fitness.
“It wasn’t very easy, obviously,” she said. “It was good to play and try to get in the rhythm and get into the swing again’” said Serena.
“I can’t really replicate the situation no matter how much I do in practice. I make those shots 10 times out of 10 in practice.
“It’s just the nerves, the anticipation you feel naturally. It’s a little bit of everything that comes in a match that just doesn’t normally happen.”
The 10th seeded Venus moves on to the round of 16 where she will face Anastasija Sevastova, who defeated 12th seeded Julia Georges 6-3, 6-3.
It is rare for the Williams sisters to play this early in a tournament. It is the earliest they have faced each other since their first encounter at the Australian Open in 1998. They arrived outside the stadium together on a golf cart then walked through the tunnel with Serena entering the court first, as many in the crowd stood and cheered.
Venus blasted six aces but had eight double faults in the 1hr, 26min main stadium match.
Serena is still shaking off the rust after the long layoff as she hit four aces but had her serve broken four times. “I just have a long way to go,” said Serena.
Despite the loss Serena still leads their career series 17-12.
Venus’s victory also comes 17 years after an ugly booing incident led to a 14-year boycott of the tournament by the sisters. For some it brought closure to the once testy relationship between Indian Wells and the sisters who hail from the Los Angeles suburb of Compton. Serena returned to the tournament in 2015 and Venus a year later.
Asked about the incident finally being put to rest, Venus said, “It never crossed my mind.” Serena said she is trying not to look too far into the season.
“[Get] ready for the next tournament. I have a lot to improve on,” she said.
“It’s good that I don’t have to say that this is the best tennis I have ever played and I lost. My room for improvement is incredible.
“So I have just got to keep saying at each tournament that my goal is just to be better than the last. I don’t want to go backwards.”