Venus eyes historic title
VENUS Williams became the oldest Wimbledon finalist in 23 years yesterday, when the US star ended Britain’s Johanna Konta’s history bid with a masterful 6-4 6-2 victory.
Twenty years after making her Wimbledon debut, five-time champion Williams is into her ninth final at the All England Club – and her first since 2008.
A sublime display of power-hitting by the 37-year-old on Centre Court stopped Konta becoming the first British woman to make the Wimbledon final for 40 years.
In doing so, Williams set up a title match against Spain’s Garbine Muguruza.
Williams took only 73 minutes to write her name in the history books as the oldest Wimbledon finalist since Martina Navratilova in 1994.
“I’ve played a lot of finals here. It’s been a blessing. I couldn’t ask for more, but I’ll ask for a little more. One more will be amazing,” Williams said.
“I thought the crowd were so fair. Jo gave it her all. It’s a lot of pressure. I think my experience was important.
“I just tried to get one point after another and, wow, it was done. “I’m so happy,” she beamed. After losing the Australian Open final in January, the world No 11 would be the oldest Wimbledon champion in the Open era – breaking her sister, Serena’s, record – if she collects her eighth grand slam crown tomorrow.
Her 87th match win at Wimbledon took her past Serena into sole possession of first place among active players.
With Serena at home preparing to give birth to her first child, Williams has picked up the baton and can make it a 13th Wimbledon title for their family tomorrow.
“I miss Serena terribly. I wish she was here. Before the match I wished she could do it for me, but I said, ‘you have to do it for yourself’,” Williams said.
Lifting the aptly named Venus Rosewater Dish would be an especially sweet moment for Williams, who has had to deal with a debilitating autoimmune disease for years, as well as her accidental involvement in a tragic car crash that killed an elderly man in Florida last month. Reduced to tears by questions about that accident after the first round and at an age when all of her contemporaries have long since retired, Williams is going strong and Konta was the latest victim of her ferocious will to win.
Konta had been relaxing between matches by baking muffins for her support team, but getting past Williams was never going to be a piece of cake.
With Virginia Wade, the last British woman to reach the final, watching from the Royal Box, Konta had to withstand an early barrage from Williams, who peppered her with body serves and bruising ground-strokes.
Deliberately taking her time between points and games, Williams was doing her best to throw Konta out of her rhythm.
Crucially, Konta could not take her chance when she earned two break points at 4-4, as Williams served her way out of trouble.
She made Konta pay in the next game, unloading a barrage of blistering ground-stokes to secure three set points – and then converting the second when the Briton missed with a forehand.
With the momentum on her side, Williams turned the screw with a break in the fourth game of the second set.
As Konta’s despairing forehand trickled into the net, the crowd’s sigh was music to Williams’ ears.
She went for the kill, smashing a serve that almost took Konta’s head off and within minutes she was celebrating.
In Williams’ way is last year’s French Open champion Garbine Muguruza, 23, who stormed into her second Wimbledon final in three years with a 6-1 6-1 demolition of nerve-ridden Magdalena Rybarikova.
Beaten by Serena in the 2015 Wimbledon final, she is in her third grand slam title match.
“I played very well, for sure,” the 14th seeded Muguruza said. “Today, I stepped on court super confident and everything went well.
“I am playing well. I want to keep it up for my last match – and hopefully it all goes well.” – AFP