Venus Williams hasn’t fared well in Grand Slam events this season.
In fact, given that after yesterday’s loss to Elina Svitolina she is now 3-4 in singles match play this season—the word “fare” doesn’t belong in that sentence—no matter how you spell it.
The 39-year-old Williams fell to the fifth seeded Ukrainian 6-4, 6-4 in the U.S. Open second round—just two days after dropping just one game in round one. It’s her earliest exit from the tournament since 2013 and drops here outside the top 50 for the first year since 2013.
“I did a lot of things right today,” said Williams, who was up 3-0 in the second set. “A lot of great things to build on.”
This year, Williams was stopped in the Australian Open third round by No. 1 Simona Halep. Swept by Svitolina in a tough French Open first round draw (so it goes when you’re not ranked high enough for a seed). Booted by 15-year-old Coco Gauff on the opening day of Wimbledon, where she won five titles between 2000 and 2008.
Williams customarily bats away questions about her future but has said she will play in 2020.
Source: NBC Sports