Going into the US Open, no one was expecting a huge run from Venus Williams or Naomi Osaka. Both are two-time champions and fan favorites, but neither has played their best tennis lately. Unfortunately, their singles tournaments are now over, as both were eliminated in the first round.
Venus Williams lost 6-1, 7-6 to Alison Van Uytvanck of Belgium. After missing nearly a year due to injury, the seven-time Grand Slam champion just returned to singles competition in early August. Her road back hasn’t been easy. She went out in the first round of her warm up tournaments. Per ESPN, in a post match press conference, she explained how difficult her return to action has been.
“It was definitely the longest time I have been away from tennis and been without a racket in my hand. So it was a completely new experience for me, getting a racket back in my hand and trying to acclimate as quick as possible to be ready for the US Open, which was not easy,’’ she said. “Definitely playing lots of great points, but in the end, it’s just rust. There is nothing you can do about that except for, you know, not be rusty at some point.’’
The 42-year-old superstar was simply outplayed in this match. Her serve wasn’t reliable and Van Uytvanck was able to break Venus four times. Williams started the second set much stronger, jumping out to a quick lead, but she couldn’t maintain the momentum, so the Belgian was able to come back and force a tiebreak. Though Venus showed flashes of her legendary game, it wasn’t enough and she couldn’t force a third set. Up next she and Serena will face off against Linda Nosková and Lucie Hradecká in the first round of women’s doubles.
“It was Serena’s idea. She’s the boss, so I do whatever she tells me to do,’’ Venus said. “We have had some great wins. It would be nice to add some more.’’
With nothing left to prove and a legacy bigger than sports, Venus is still in it for her love of tennis. For Osaka, the questions are much more complicated.
This is the second straight Grand Slam where she’s been defeated in the first round, suffering a tough 7-6, 6-3 loss to American Danielle Collins during a night match on Arthur Ashe Stadium. Osaka looked like the former champion she is, taking the early lead and showing her hard court dominance. However, Australian Open finalist Collins was able to use her power game to get back in the first set and win a closely contested tiebreak. The young American carried her momentum into the second set, grabbing control over a frustrated Naomi.
“Felt like her plan was to immediately put me in defense, so she would have hit the ball no matter what type of ball I hit on her side of the court. I thought she did that pretty well,” Osaka said in a post-match press conference. “I think that’s kind of what she’s known for—to be extremely aggressive.”
The four-time Grand Slam champion skipped Wimbledon due to injury and has been battling a bad back in the run up to New York. That’s definitely an issue that can affect practice time and shot selection.
“Lately, I felt really restrained. I’m not really sure why,” Osaka said. “I’m beginning to feel like I can’t hit the shots that I know I can, like especially on my forehand. I don’t know if it’s a matter of practicing more or something like that. I just don’t have the same feeling.”
Hopefully, she can take the rest of the season off and get her game back to elite levels. Tennis is more interesting with Naomi Osaka in the championship conversation.
The US Open is currently airing on ESPN’s Networks.