Melbourne, Australia
AP
—
It took 45 years to be in a place to set a record that has drawn a lot consideration. So one other 14 1/2 minutes serving to maintain her Australian Open hopes alive felt like no time at all for Venus Williams.
Ranked No. 576 and taking part in on a wild-card entry, the seven-time main winner led 4-0 in the third set Sunday earlier than Olga Danilovic rallied to win six straight video games — getting the important break in the extra-long, next-to-last recreation — for a 6-7 (5), 6-3, 6-4 victory.
“It was an amazing journey on the court today,” mentioned Williams, who left the stadium with a smile and a wave.
Just by beginning the first-round match, Williams turned the oldest woman to compete in an Australian Open singles main draw, surpassing the mark set by Japan’s Kimiko Date, who was 44 when she misplaced in the first round in 2015.
“I’m really proud of my effort today because I’m playing better with each match, getting to the places that I want to get to,” Williams mentioned. “Right now, I’m simply going to need to hold going ahead and dealing on myself and dealing to regulate my errors.
“Those are things, too, that come with playing extra matches … all of those things that I’m still learning. It’s kind of weird, but it’s super exciting to have played that well and to get myself in that position and come very close.”
She was 17 when she first made her Australian Open debut in 1998, reaching the quarterfinals. This was her twenty second journey to Melbourne Park, the place she misplaced finals to her sister, Serena, in 2003 and 2017.
Williams was married in December to Andrea Preti and the couple traveled collectively in Melbourne.
Williams was decided not simply to interrupt Date’s age record. She needed to punctuate the event with a win that will simply arrange one other match in opposition to Coco Gauff.
After splitting the first two sets, Williams went on a roll and dropped simply 5 factors throughout 4 video games, hitting some classic winners. Then No. 68-ranked Danilovic discovered vary together with her massive left-handed forehand returns and put Williams again underneath stress.
“I told myself before the match I really want to take this moment — playing against Venus Williams is something I can’t take for granted,” Danilovic mentioned. “At 4-0, I mentioned ‘just play.’
“It was such a pleasure playing against such a legend.”
At 4-4 in the deciding set, Williams served for 14 minutes and 28 seconds, saving two break factors and organising recreation factors of her personal with highly effective winners and clutch aces, earlier than she lastly succumbed.
“It was such a great game, such a great moment. The energy from the crowd was amazing. That lifted me up so much,” Williams mentioned of that penultimate recreation on her serve. “She played a great game. Also, some luck there, as well. That’s just the sport. That’s how it works sometimes. But it was an amazing moment.”
Danilovic calmly served out, clinching it in 2 hours, 17 minutes when a Williams forehand clipped the internet and landed simply large of the line on match level.
Williams entered the Australian Open on a five-match shedding streak since the first and solely win in her comeback to the tour at Washington final 12 months. Her U.S. Open comeback final August additionally ended in the first round.
“Yeah, at 4-love I felt good. Also, it’s the biggest lead I’ve had since I’ve been back,” Williams mentioned. “In a lot of ways I’m having to relearn how to do things again, if that makes any sense.”
She’ll hold that course of going in the doubles at Melbourne Park, then she’ll take into consideration her schedule for the remainder of 2026.
“Right now I’m very much in the tournament,” she mentioned. “My next focus is the doubles. So that’s where my head is.”