Venus wins in straight sets; crash video released in Fla.
Police say she legally entered intersection
LONDON — Venus Williams beat one 19-year-old opponent at Wimbledon on Friday. She’ll face another on Monday.
Both of those players were born months after Williams made her debut at the All England Club.
Williams’ 7-6 (3), 6-4 victory over Naomi Osaka of Japan made the 37-year-old American the oldest woman to reach the fourth round at Wimbledon since Martina Navratilova was that age when she was the tournament’s runner-up in 1994.
“I’ve had to step it up. I imagine that’s going to continue,” Williams said. “All I can do is try to be my best.”
This is the 20th appearance at
the grass-court major for Williams, who has won the championship five times since her first match at the All England Club in 1997. Next up for Williams on Monday, with a quarterfinal berth at stake, is 19-year-old Ana Konjuh of Croatia.
Osaka spoke about growing up admiring Williams and her younger sister, Serena.
Osaka led the tiebreaker it 3-0, before Williams claimed the next seven points.
“I actually feel like it’s better that she beat me, because I can learn more from her, and there’s something more I can look forward to,” the 59thranked Osaka said. “There’s more of a goal for me to practice every day and stuff.”
Williams said she didn’t focus on that at all when it came to Friday’s match.
“It’s interesting, for sure. But I guess when you walk on the court, I don’t think either of us is thinking about the age,” she said. “You’re thinking about: How do I win?”
The 10th-seeded Williams is playing in her first tournament since a two-car crash in Florida on June 9. A 78-year-old man in the other vehicle died about two weeks later and his estate has filed a lawsuit against Williams.
When asked about the accident after her first-round match this week, Williams teared up during her news conference and was given time by the moderator to leave the room and compose herself. The topic was not raised Friday after the victory over Osaka.
On Friday in Florida, police said video shows that Williams legally entered an intersection seconds before she drove into the path of the other car.
The video, taken by a security camera, shows Williams heading north as she stops her 2010 Toyota Sequoia SUV at a stoplight behind a white car as she exits her Palm Beach Gardens neighborhood shortly after 1 p.m. June 9.
When the light turns green, the white car turns left onto a six-lane, heavily traveled boulevard, but Williams heads straight. A dark colored sedan turns left in front of her, causing her to stop.
She then continues straight into the far, westbound lanes, where her SUV is struck in the passenger’s side by a 2016 Hyundai sedan driven by Linda Barson.
Palm Beach Gardens police said that Barson’s light had turned green just before Williams moved in front of her. Barson’s 78-year-old husband, Jerome Barson, died June 22 from injuries suffered in the crash.
Williams has not been cited or charged. Police spokesman Maj. Paul Rogers said Friday the video has caused investigators to rescind their original conclusion that Williams was at fault and that no blame has been determined.
The 27th-seeded Konjuh had never been past the third round until upsetting 2014 Australian Open runner-up Dominika Cibulkova 7-6 (3), 3-6, 6-4 on Friday.
Also advancing were French Open champion Jelena Ostapenko, No. 2-seeded Simona Halep, No. 4 Elina Svitolina, No. 6 Johanna Konta, No. 21 Caroline Garcia and two-time Australian Open champion and former No. 1 Victoria Azarenka.
The matchups Monday: Halep vs. Azarenka, Ostapenko vs. Svitolina, Konta vs. Garcia.