Venus Williams inches close to the landmark of 50 career titles – Tennis News
Former world number one, Venus Williams, stands firm in the path of the 68th ranked Romanian star, Monica Niculescu, and the BGL Luxembourg Open trophy; clinching the first Women Tennis Association title of the current
season. She outplayed the 25-year-old Romanian completely; winning the battle in straight sets 6-2, 6-3 taking an hour and 23 minutes.
In a post-match interview, the 32-year-old American said, “I had to work so hard to get to the final - the match against Andrea was so challenging, and the two matches before as well, and even my first round I had to stay really
focused. Monica was in her second final here so she obviously feels really good on this court. You have to hit five, six, seven shots more than usual. It can be frustrating. She's tricky. You have to be ready.”
She further added, “The score looked easy but the first set was 6-2 and like 42 minutes. You have to put a lot of balls back in the court against her.” It was definitely not an easy contest at all for both players. They gave everything
they had and the little cameos from the American gathered up to take away the crucial points from her rival.
Williams fought extremely hard in the opening game of the match to pull out a serve hold. However, she didn’t have to move a muscle to grab the first breakpoint in the following game. Another successful but tight game for Williams
helped her to take a lead of 3-0. She kept the lead intact until the end; rather clinched another breakpoint in the last game to post a lead of one set.
The second witnessed an early swap of breakpoints that was coupled with another breakthrough for Williams. She led the scores 5-2 and didn’t falter on her serves in the following stages of the match to grab the title. It was something
extraordinary from the American lady who has been suffering from several medical issues lately. She lifted the trophy on the eve of Sunday and sent a strong message to her fellow athletes that she is still good and running.
It is the 44th title for the American women and she is still going strong despite so many hurdles in her way. She might not have played tennis for a complete calendar year but she has been consistent in every tournament
she featured.
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