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Venus Williams’ 2023 Wimbledon journey ended with an opening-round loss to Elina Svitolina on Monday. The Ukrainian defeated the former world no. 1, 6-4, 6-3 in an hour and 32 minutes. The score-line of the match looks straightforward but the match wasn’t.
Williams took a brisk 2-0 lead with a break in the first set and looked to be getting a 3-0 lead. However, a fall as she attempted to pick up a shot interrupted her momentum and changed the course of the match thereafter. The 43-year-old looked to have hurt her right knee – which had already been troubling her in her return to the tour – all over again.
The five-time Championships’ winner did carry on with the match but it had already slipped from her. Svitolina regained the break back and secured a break for herself in the set not long after. Williams did have a set point to bring back the set on serve at five-all but Svitolina erased that and converted the set to go up in the match.
In the second set, Svitolina was the one who took charge and soon raced away to a 5-1 lead. Williams did get one of the two breaks back in the eighth game as Svitolina served for the match. But her own serve let down in the ninth game as she was unable to save either of the two match points she faced.
Wimbledon: Passion undimmed for Venus Williams; awry result for Coco Gauff
Williams hit eight double faults and could win only 18% of points at the net. She finished the match with 16 winners to Svitolina’s 28. The younger player had just 15 unforced errors to the veteran’s 33.
This was the 24th year Williams was playing at the All-England Club since making her first appearance as a teen in 1997. This was also her 355th match in the main draw of a Grand Slam, alongside Martina Navratilova. The only player to have won more main draw matches at the Slams is Williams’ sister, Serena.
Meanwhile, in the second round, Elina Svitolina will take on 28th seed Elise Mertens. The Belgian got past Slovakian qualifier Viktoria Hruncakova, 7-6(2), 6-2. The biggest upset among the women on the first day at 2023 Wimbledon was that of Coco Gauff.
In an American opening-round derby, qualifier Sofia Kenin ousted the seventh seed, 6-4, 4-6, 6-2. Just last week, Gauff had reached the semi-finals of the Rothesay International in Eastbourne (l. to Madison Keys). 