Venus Williams fashions second round win at French Open
Venus Williams teased spectators once again with her corset-like outfit in her second round victory at the French Open, but her continuing struggle with unforced errors is no laughing matter for the second seed.
Williams committed 21 unforced errors in her 6-2, 6-4 win over Arantxa Parra Santonja, compared to just 12 unforced errors that flowed from the Spaniard’s racquet.
Fortunately for Williams she compensated for that fact with 24 winners, though Parra Santonja did produce 18 winners of her own, during the one hour and 35-minute match.
The world No. 2 produced a similarly error strewn performance in her first round victory against Patty Schnyder (she made 21 unforced errors in that match also).
Williams may have recorded two relatively straightforward wins so far, but as the stakes get higher and the opponents tougher as the tournament progresses, there are players who will be able to capitalise on any sloppiness in the former world No. 1’s game.
Venus has, at least so far at Roland Garros, upstaged sister Serena in the fashion stakes, but despite what looks like a less problematic path to the French Open final some doubts must now be creeping in about whether the elder Williams sister will be grabbing headlines while holding aloft the ultimate fashion accessory on centre court.
The 29-year-old, who was runner-up at the French Open in 2002, ended the clay court season in the kind of form that suggested that maybe, just maybe, this might be her year at the clay court Grand Slam.
She’d moved into the top-two for the first time in seven years, and a runner-up performance against the unstoppable juggernaut that was Aravane Rezai in the final of the Madrid Open gave some indication of just what it might take to defeat Venus at Roland Garros this year.
Venus’ opening two performances, even allowing for the fact that the top seeds habitually play themselves into form in the early rounds of the majors, suggest the bar is now set a little lower for future opponents to secure victory over the seven-time Grand Slam champion in Paris.
As Williams fielded questions about her risqué, self-designed outfit, the lacy red and black dress covering (though not always) flesh coloured underwear that set tongues wagging on day one at Roland Garros this year she told reporters “the outfit is about illusion, and that's been a lot of my motif this year, illusion.”
One can only hope her encouraging clay court results - Venus carried a 13-2 record on the surface for the season into Roland Garros – have not also flattered to deceive in regard to her French Open title chances.
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