‘Not ideal’: Scheduling nightmare forces Venus to play past 2am
Updated . First published at
Venus Williams dug deep against an opponent nearly 20 years younger than her, but it wasn’t enough to advance to the US Open second round.
In what became the latest first-round match finish in tournament history and the latest start ever for a women’s match, beginning at 12.13am and going past the 2am mark, it was 2020 Australian Open champion Sofia Kenin who walked away with the win.
Venus Williams waves goodbye to the New York crowd. AP Photo/Frank Franklin II
Kenin took the first set in dominant fashion and looked on her way to making light work of the 46-year-old American tennis legend.
But from seemingly nowhere, Williams dug deep and found herself in a position to square the match in a topsy-turvy second set.
In the second-set tiebreak, Williams led 6-2 at one stage, before Kenin fought back to claim the match 6-2, 7-6(8-6) in dramatic scenes at Arthur Ashe Stadium.
Williams failed to capitalise on a whopping seven set points against Kenin.
“Oh my god, I was obviously pretty nervous playing a legend of the sport ... I’m just super happy to get through that,” Kenin said post-match.
“She played really great, obviously some nerves from my side. She is a true champion and it was an honour to share the court with her.
“Venus was playing some amazing tennis. I just had to keep fighting.
“Thank you guys so much for staying, I know it’s 2am. Here playing in New York, I love it here. Second night session on [Arthur] Ashe, you can’t ask for anything better. I’m grateful to be on this court, I absolutely love it here.”
The match nearly took place on a different court in a confusing back-and-forth, caused by Novak Djokovic’s shock five-set defeat to Mariano Navone.
Speaking to media post-match, Williams conceded the scheduling issues were “not ideal” and called for tournament organisers to improve.
“It was extremely late,” she said.
“I’ve never played a match that late before. It’s not ideal. I would have preferred something else. I think it wasn’t great for either of us.
“I definitely think there’s room for improvement there.”
