Venus on to third round
MELBOURNE, Australia — It was inevitable after such an energetic performance in her second-round win against Stefanie Voegele at the Australian Open that Venus Williams would get asked about transcending the generations in tennis.
The 36-year-old, seventime major winner played the first of her record 73 Grand Slam tournaments at the French Open in 1997. Back then, she got to play against the likes of Steffi Graf and Martina Navratilova.
Against the 26-year-old Voegele at the Australian Open today, Williams mixed up her game, clearly not intent on relying only on the kind of power game that helped her make a mark on the sport. She won 6-3, 6-2, hitting 24 winners and getting five service breaks.
“I have to talk about this every interview,” Williams said in reply to what has become a regular post-match question to the oldest player in the women’s draw here. “I’ve played some of the greats.
“It’s an honor and privilege to start that young,” she added, laughing, “and play this old.”
Venus and Serena Williams withdrew from a scheduled first-round doubles match later in the day, citing an injury to Venus’ right elbow. The sisters have won 14 Grand Slam doubles titles together, including four at the Australian Open.
Venus Williams put plenty into her second-round singles match, which lasted 1 hour, 23 minutes.
In the second set, serving and with a game point, Venus chased the ball like a teenager from one side of the court to the other, and back, trying to finish off. Her forehand landed too long, but her intention was clear. Get through the round ASAP. She won the subsequent two points to hold.
Defending champion Angelique Kerber marked her 29th birthday — angrily at times — with a 6-2, 6-7 (3), 6-2 win over fellow German Carina Witthoeft.
Kerber, who beat Serena Williams in the Australian Open final last year, then won the U.S. Open in September, was her own worst enemy in the tiebreaker, double-faulting twice to turn a 3-2 lead into a 4-3 deficit.
In other matches, No. 11 Elina Svitolina had a 6-4, 6-1 win against U.S. qualifier Julia Boserup and No. 24 Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova beat fellow Russian Natalia Vikhlyantseva 6-2, 6-2.
On the men’s side, No. 10 Tomas Berdych had a 6-3, 7-6 (6), 6-2 win over Ryan Harrison and could meet 17-time Grand Slam winner Roger Federer in the next stage. U.S. Open champion Stan Wawrinka advanced 6-3, 6-4, 6-4 over Steve Johnson.
Fifth-ranked Kei Nishikori set up a third-round match against Lukas Lacko with a 6-3, 6-4, 6-3 win over Jeremy Chardy, and No. 12 Jo-Wilfried Tsonga beat Dusan Lajovic 6-2, 6-2, 6-3.