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Manila Bulletin devider Sports devider Ostapenko knocks out Venus Williams in Birmingham

Ostapenko knocks out Venus Williams in Birmingham

Published Jun 23, 2023 05:37 am
BIRMINGHAM (AFP) -- Venus Williams narrowly failed to reach her first WTA quarterfinal in four years as the American legend was beaten by Jelena Ostapenko in the second round in Birmingham on Thursday, June 22. *Jelena Ostapenko. (AFP)*
Williams had enjoyed her first victory over a top-50 opponent in four years on Monday when the former world number one beat Camila Giorgi in her Birmingham opener. But the 43-year-old, a seven-time Grand Slam champion, was unable to make it two in a row as she succumbed to a hard-fought 6-3, 5-7, 6-3 loss to Latvia's Ostapenko on the Edgbaston grass. Williams briefly rolled back the years when she saved a match point at 3-5 in the second set, then reeled off three successive games as second seeded Ostapenko lost her rhythm. After Williams moved 2-0 ahead in the deciding set, it appeared the five-time Wimbledon winner might be on course for the last eight. But Ostapenko, a former Wimbledon semi-finalist, recomposed herself and eventually shattered Williams' hopes of a morale-boosting run at Birmingham ahead of the start of Wimbledon on July 3. "Of course I could finish it a bit quicker. I got a little bit disappointed after the match point in the second set. But Venus is a great player, a great champion and it's an honour to share the court with her," former French Open champion Ostapenko said. "She's a very dangerous player, especially on grass. She was serving really well.  "It was a little bit hard, but I'm really happy that I managed it and I was fighting until the very last point. She's an idol for a lot of people so it was very special." Williams will hope to recover from a knee injury that dogged her in Birmingham after being awarded a wild card entry for Wimbledon, where she made her debut in 1997 and reached her most recent Grand Slam final in 2017. In the quarter-finals, Ostapenko faces Poland's Magdalena Frech, who battled past eighth seed Sorana Cirstea 6-3, 6-7 (1/7), 6-4. Britain's Harriet Dart will take on fourth seed Anastasia Potapova, who defeated American Caty McNally 6-3, 2-6, 7-6 (7/0). Meanwhile, there will be an all-Czech quarter-final between top seed Barbora Krejcikova and 18-year-old Linda Fruhvirtova. Fruhvirtova was already through to the last eight and former French Open champion Krejcikova joined her by seeing off Tereza Martincova 6-4, 6-4.

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