Arguably, the most popular victory on the opening day of the US Open was that of Venus Williams as she showed that she is not quite ready to bow out yet with victory over Kirsten Flipkens. The 33-year-old has been plagued by injuries and illness in the last two years and, as such, she has got nowhere near challenging the mantle of her younger sister, Serena.
However, in destroying Flipkens in straight sets in round one, the two-time US Open champion gave hope to her fans on the Betfair forums that maybe there is a way back. The world number 60’s 6-1 6-2 win over her Belgian opponent was in stark contrast to the defeat she suffered at the hands of the same opponent at the Rogers Cup recently.
On that occasion, Venus took the first set before the cracks began to appear and she went down in three in Toronto. There were no signs of those frailties at Flushing Meadows though, while she gave no indication that her recent back injury was causing her bother.
The win represented a remarkable milestone for a player of Venus’ quality. It was her first against a top-20 ranked opponent since last October, incredible considering how dominant she used to be.
While the latest betting on betfair suggest that it is all but impossible Venus can return to the kind of form we saw in the early noughties when she was winning everything, this year’s US Open is a great opportunity to show that she still has plenty of fight left in her.
A run to the second week in New York would be a step in the right direction for a champion who has fallen on hard times. Having already lost James Blake to retirement this week, American tennis fans need a fairytale story to lift their spirits. They already have a potential winner in Serena, now could they have the potential underdog to the crown in Venus?
