Spoiler:
WHAT HAPPENED: Those who got to their seats early for Monday’s first-round match of No. 16 Venus Williams against Svetlana Kuznetsova, a wild card entry, had to be among the savvier fans on the first day of the US Open. As other tantalizing matches went on across the grounds, two former US Open champions from more than a decade ago treated fans to flashes of their past form over a nearly three-hour marathon in a steamy Arthur Ashe Stadium.
It was Williams who persevered through the heat, nerves and bouts of errors. Her bigger game and consistent net-rushing presence proved to be the right formula, taking the match 6-3, 5-7, 6-3 in two hours and 55 minutes.
Williams seemed like she was on her way to an easy second set and match victory, especially as Kuznetsova fought to deuce serving at 1-3. An error followed by more of Williams’ excellent all-court play shut that down, as she moved forward and placed a forehand volley on the line for a winner and a 4-1 lead. Williams would stretch that to 5-3.
Kuznetsova, though, kept fighting.
Williams faltered when trying to serve out the match at 5-4, sending a tired-looking forehand long to even up the set at 5-all.
Aided by a Williams unforced error, Kuznetsova had her most convincing service game to go up 6-5. Williams had a chance to hold at 40-30 but a backhand miss followed by a screaming backhand winner from Kuznetsova gave the Russian a chance to break. Williams double faulted to send the match to a decisive final set.
Going into the third, the two took a 10-minute heat break as the temperature hovered around 90 degrees, likely much hotter on the court.
A quick break of serve, an easy hold and a screaming backhand winner up 0-40 in the third game put Williams in a commanding 3-0 position. And while Kuznetsova managed to break back in the fourth game, it was Williams’ convincing baseline game that helped her fight off Kuznetsova's last charge and take the set and the match.
WHY IT MATTERS: Williams, the 2000 and 2001 US Open winner, might have been a little surprised to see the 2004 US Open champ across the net in the first round as the No. 16 seed. That said, the early round test — Kutznetsova won the Washington Citi Open earlier this summer — bodes well for her as the tournament rolls along. Williams has fallen from starting the year as the world No. 5 to falling to her current No. 16. Despite reaching the finals of Wimbledon and the Australian Open last year, this year’s Grand Slams have been far less kind. After first-round losses at the Australian Open and Roland Garros and a third-round loss at Wimbledon, Williams is hoping the year-end US Open will be her best result of 2018.
After the match, Williams told ESPN that her on-court preparation for the US Open wasn’t the best. But, she joked about the long match, “I got a lot more balls to hit, I’m hoping that will help.”
MATCH POINT: Kim Clijsters has had the best result of any wildcard entry, winning the 2009 US Open title.
SEE MORE: Six-time US Open champion Serena Williams could be set for a prime-time third-round matchup with sister Venus Williams at the 2018 US Open.
It was Williams who persevered through the heat, nerves and bouts of errors. Her bigger game and consistent net-rushing presence proved to be the right formula, taking the match 6-3, 5-7, 6-3 in two hours and 55 minutes.
Williams seemed like she was on her way to an easy second set and match victory, especially as Kuznetsova fought to deuce serving at 1-3. An error followed by more of Williams’ excellent all-court play shut that down, as she moved forward and placed a forehand volley on the line for a winner and a 4-1 lead. Williams would stretch that to 5-3.
Kuznetsova, though, kept fighting.
Williams faltered when trying to serve out the match at 5-4, sending a tired-looking forehand long to even up the set at 5-all.
Aided by a Williams unforced error, Kuznetsova had her most convincing service game to go up 6-5. Williams had a chance to hold at 40-30 but a backhand miss followed by a screaming backhand winner from Kuznetsova gave the Russian a chance to break. Williams double faulted to send the match to a decisive final set.
Going into the third, the two took a 10-minute heat break as the temperature hovered around 90 degrees, likely much hotter on the court.
A quick break of serve, an easy hold and a screaming backhand winner up 0-40 in the third game put Williams in a commanding 3-0 position. And while Kuznetsova managed to break back in the fourth game, it was Williams’ convincing baseline game that helped her fight off Kuznetsova's last charge and take the set and the match.
WHY IT MATTERS: Williams, the 2000 and 2001 US Open winner, might have been a little surprised to see the 2004 US Open champ across the net in the first round as the No. 16 seed. That said, the early round test — Kutznetsova won the Washington Citi Open earlier this summer — bodes well for her as the tournament rolls along. Williams has fallen from starting the year as the world No. 5 to falling to her current No. 16. Despite reaching the finals of Wimbledon and the Australian Open last year, this year’s Grand Slams have been far less kind. After first-round losses at the Australian Open and Roland Garros and a third-round loss at Wimbledon, Williams is hoping the year-end US Open will be her best result of 2018.
After the match, Williams told ESPN that her on-court preparation for the US Open wasn’t the best. But, she joked about the long match, “I got a lot more balls to hit, I’m hoping that will help.”
MATCH POINT: Kim Clijsters has had the best result of any wildcard entry, winning the 2009 US Open title.
SEE MORE: Six-time US Open champion Serena Williams could be set for a prime-time third-round matchup with sister Venus Williams at the 2018 US Open.