LAGOS, Nigeria (VOICE OF NAIJA) – Venus Williams, a top-ranked tennis player, beats Camile Giorgi, who was ranked 48th, to earn her first victory over a top-50 player in nearly four years.
At the Birmingham Classic in England on grass, the 43-year-old, who is currently rated No. 697, triumphed 7-6 (5), 4-6, 7-6 (6).
The seven-time Grand Slam champion played for more than three hours before moving on to the next round.
“It had been a while since I had played her. It seems like she adores this surface,” Williams stated during the interview on the court. “She’s dangerous out here.”
“So are you,” the journalist retorted.
The five-time Wimbledon champion then acknowledged her shock at yet another successful smashing of 120 mph serves.
“Thank you,” she said in response. “And I recently struck some servers at 120 mph, which made me think, Oh my gosh. It is there. I’ve been missing you.
Williams had a hamstring injury in Auckland during the opening week of the year, which sidelined him for six months.
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She lost to 17-year-old Celine Naef in the opening round of the Libema Open in the Netherlands the week after she got back.
Against Giorgi, the American star admitted it was “touch and go.“
“There were so many moments where I thought, “This match is over,” then she would hit a shot from out of nowhere,‘ Williams said.
“She pushed me to be better than what I thought I could be, and it´s great for me.
“I haven’t played a lot of matches, and it’s great to come through.”