Tennis News

ROME, Italy – 1999 champion Venus Williams got off to a winning start in her campaign at the Internazionali BNL d’Italia with a solid victory over fellow American CoCo Vandeweghe, 6-4, 6-3.

Watch highlights, interviews and more video from Rome right here on wtatennis.com!

In her first match since the green clay of Charleston almost a month ago, the former No.1 was drawn against the big serving No.40 Vandeweghe in the first women’s match of the day at the Foro Italico. Even though they are familiar with each other as Fed Cup teammates, it was the pair’s first encounter.

“I have hit with her a little bit at Fed Cup but not really sure what to expect,” Williams said after the match. “I imagine that on the clay I have a little bit more advantage, just having played more matches on clay. I think that helped a lot.”

It took a while for both players to find their range in the first set. Neither of them able to really assert themselves during their service games with Williams serving at 44% and Vandeweghe at 50%. Williams kept pressuring the younger American with her net play and angles until she finally struck, breaking for 5-3. Vandeweghe broke right back, but Williams responded in kind to take the first set.

In the second set, Williams backed up an early break with a comfortable hold to get a 3-1 lead. She continued to jam up Vandeweghe with a punishing body serve, leaving her to wreak havoc on the open court.

Despite the stats initially skewing to Vandeweghe­’s favor, it was Williams who kept her head during the key points: she converted three of the five break chances that went her way, and Vandeweghe just one of five. Williams struck 13 winners and 16 unforced errors to Vandeweghe’s 20 and 27.

Also in the bottom half of the draw, a pair of qualifiers caused a shakeup by taking out two seeded players. Monica Puig weathered a mid-match surge from No.15 seed Elina Svitolina before advancing 6-1, 4-6, 6-1, and Heather Watson broke Italian hearts when she sent the No.14 seed packing in emphatic fashion, ousting the 2014 finalist 6-4, 3-6, 6-0.

Meanwhile Teliana Pereira, Ekaterina Makarova, Madison Keys and Barbora Strycova also made their way to the second round.

There's that @VenusesWilliams victory twirl ? #ibi16 pic.twitter.com/PMLeNcRP6D

— WTA (@WTA) May 9, 2016

CHARLESTON, SC, USA – Laura Siegemund outlasted an in-form Venus Williams, 6-4, 6-7(3), 7-5, to win her second three-setter in three days and sail into the third round of the Volvo Car Open.

“I have no idea!” she said during her on-court interview when asked how she pulled off the win over the 2004 champion. “It was a really good match; it was going up and down. I just tried to believe in my game, and if I was down, I told myself I was going to get more chances.”

Siegemund reached the quarterfinals last year in Charleston, kicking off an impressive clay court campaign that led her into the finals of the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix at home in Stuttgart.

Against Venus, the German veteran was hardly overawed by the five-time Wimbledon winner, who was coming off strong results at the BNP Paribas Open and the Miami Open, where she reached the quarterfinals and semifinals respectively.

.@LauraSiegemund levels the final set in style!

Four all! #VolvoCarOpen pic.twitter.com/WTOsyT8Bm8

— WTA (@WTA) April 5, 2017

Down match point in the second set, Venus fought back and broke Siegemund as she served for the match, eventually powering through the ensuing tiebreak to level the match.

“I had a hard time finding an aggressive game at the beginning of the third set, playing really short, and she plays really well when she can put pressure on you. It was an amazing performance from her as well,” said Siegemund.

What a rally from @LauraSiegemund to save a second match point! #VolvoCarOpen pic.twitter.com/Lzy5XPmfgr

— WTA (@WTA) April 5, 2017

Siegemund twice pulled back from a break in the third, and saved two match points of her own as Venus served for the match at 5-4, reeling off the final three games to reach the round of 16.

“I tried my best to think this could be the best match she’ll ever play in her life, honestly,” Venus said in her post-match press conference. “I basically won the match but still lost.

“I really played the best game I could. I pretty much hit winners, but she hit winners back on me, and I just didn’t have any answers for that. I don’t know much more that I could do. I mean, there were some errors I made in the beginning, but when push came to shove, I feel like I did the right things, but somehow inexplicably came up empty.”

In all, the two played phenomenal offense throughout, each hitting more winners than errors, with Siegemund leading Venus 52 to 45, and hitting 41 unforced errors to Venus’ 39.

Unreal tennis from @LauraSiegemund! ? #VolvoCarOpen pic.twitter.com/IiKImzXwcy

— WTA (@WTA) April 5, 2017

“It gives me a lot of confidence, because I was pretty unlucky this year,” Siegemund said. “I’ve had a lot of these kinds of matches, but I was losing them, and you start to doubt.

“Now, I feel very confident on clay, and I think I showed I still have some good tennis in my hands.”

Up next for Siegemund will be the winner of the match between doubles partners Lucie Safarova and Bethanie Mattek-Sands.

First Top 10 win of 2017!@LauraSiegemund saves TWO MATCH POINTS to beat Venus Williams 6-4, 6-7(3), 7-5 at @VolvoCarOpen! pic.twitter.com/PjMR97mdW7

— WTA (@WTA) April 5, 2017