Tennis
Venus Williams’ Birmingham Classic Run Halted by Jelena Ostapenko
by privatebet.com - 2023/06/24
It was quite a shocker to see Venus Williams make it to the last 16 at the Birmingham Classic, but her comeback was cut short. The second seed Jelena Ostapenko managed to beat the tennis veteran in a three-set thriller and make it to the quarterfinals. The 43-year-old Williams gave it her all against her Latvian rival, but it wasn’t enough to come out victorious. Despite her best efforts, she lost 6-3 5-7 6-3 at the Wimbledon warm-up event, shortly after being handed a wild card at this Grand Slam. Ostapenko said it was very special to play against Williams and described her as an idol for a lot of people. "Venus is a great player and it's an honor to share a court with her, she's a really dangerous player on grass. It was hard but I managed it, I was fighting until the last point. It's great to play against players like Venus, she's a great champion – that hasn't gone anywhere, it will always be with her,” she said post-match. Williams celebrated her 30th year on the WTA Tour earlier this year and won her first match as a 43-year-old in Birmingham. Her victory against Camila Giorgi in the tournament’s first round marked only her second singles win in almost two years, after a long period plagued with injuries.