Serena Williams eliminated from Indian Wells by sister Venus
Serena Williams' return to tournament tennis came to an abrupt end on Monday
(early on Tuesday morning, South Africa time) as she crashed out of Indian Wells
with a 6-3, 6-4 loss to her sister Venus.
Venus closed out the 29th career meeting between the two on her second match
point as Serena sailed a forehand long to end the third round match.
The 10th seeded Venus moves on to the round of 16 where she will face either
Anastasija Sevastova or 12th seeded Julia Georges.
It was the first meeting between the two sisters since they clashed in the
final of the 2017 Australian Open, which Serena won before taking a 15-month
hiatus due to her pregnancy.
It is rare for the Williams sisters to play this early in a tournament. It is
the earliest they have faced each other since their first encounter at the
Australian Open in 1998.
The sisters arrived outside the stadium together on a golf cart then walked
through the tunnel with Serena entering the court first with many in the crowd
standing and cheering.
Venus blasted six aces but had eight double faults in the one hour 26 minutes
main stadium match.
Serena is still shaking off the rust after the long layoff as she hit four
aces but had her serve broken four times.
This was their first encounter with Venus as an aunt and Serena as a new
mother after giving birth to her baby daughter, Alexis Olympia, on September
1.
Venus's victory also comes 17 years after an ugly booing incident led to a
14-year boycott of the tournament by the sisters.
But for some it brought closure to the once testy relationship between Indian
Wells and the sisters who hail from the Los Angeles suburb of Compton.
Source: AFP
No comments
Your comments and Encouragement are welcome