US Open 2017: Venus Williams rolls back the years to win three-set thriller and seal semi-final berth

If there were ever a match that deserved two winners, it was Tuesday night’s contest between Venus Williams and Petra Kvitova in the quarter-finals of the US Open. Not only are both players among the most beloved and respected in the game, they both showed remarkable shot-making and competitive fire in a captivating three-set match that kept spectators guessing. As inspiring as their on-court display was, it is hard not to think of the struggles that each champion has overcome in recent years to reach this stage. Williams has spent over 20 years on the tour, during which time she has suffered numerous injuries, the tragic death of her sister Yetunde and in 2011, a diagnosis of the autoimmune disease, Sjögren’s Syndrome, that sapped her of her strength. In December 2016, Kvitova survived a horrific home invasion, where her attacker slashed her left hand — her playing hand — so severely that she required nearly four hours of surgery to repair the extensive damage to her tendons. Yet, there was little evidence of these challenges as the two battled under the lights of the Arthur Ashe Stadium. Instead, the match unfolded as a series of surges and counter-surges. Kvitova struck first, breaking Williams’ serve in the third game of the first set, aided by Williams’ three double-faults in that game. As always, Williams remained unperturbed by her own errors or the strong play of her opponent, and eventually overcame a 1-3 deficit in the first set by winning the next five games to take the set 6-3. [caption id=“attachment_4014137” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] Venus Williams in the US Open quarter-final on Tuesday night. AP[/caption] With rain observed in nearby Manhattan, the tournament took the precaution of closing the roof of the stadium at the conclusion of the first set. While other players might have used the opportunity for a washroom break — tactical or not, both Kvitova and Williams remained on court, sportsmanlike and patient, with Kvitova even joking with chair umpire Marija Čičak during the intermission. Whether it was the roof-related delay or not, just when it seemed that Williams had put the pieces together to overtake Kvitova, the two time Wimbledon champion jumped to a 3-0 lead in the second set. Despite Kvitova’s early lead, the second set felt like it hung in the balance time and time again, as Kvitova saved five break points with, at times, little more than sheer will, as her shots and serves sprayed outside the lines. As she fended off pressure from Williams, Kvitova exhorted herself with fist pumps and shouts of “pojd” — the Czech word for “come on” — which has become her trademark expression. With that, Kvitova dug in with some inspired serving to hold on to her lead and win the set 6-3. Like all their previous matches, this one stretched to a third set, where, yet again, Kvitova marched out to another 3-1 lead, which Williams evened to 3-3. Neither player ceded any ground after that, as they continued to hold serve to reach a deciding tiebreak. And, it was there that Williams heeded her own advice, from her on-court interview after her fourth round win on Sunday, “Nobody ever gives you a Slam. You’ve got to take it.” With the daring groundstrokes that brought her fame over two decades ago, Williams charged out to a 6-1 lead in the tiebreak. For a moment, it looked like the match might take another turn, as Williams double faulted on her first match point. But, true to form, Williams did not allow the temporary obstacle to shift her focus, and she forced Kvitova to hit wide on match point. While Kvitova was certainly disappointed with the result on Tuesday, her performance during the US Open was remarkable, given that she could barely hold a tennis racquet eight months ago. In her run to the quarter-finals, she took down pre-tournament favourite, Garbine Muguruza, in an impressive two-set display on Sunday, and showed the dominant play that made her unbeatable at Wimbledon in 2011 and 2014. If there is any consolation for her from this loss, it may be that the narrative following Kvitova through the rest of the season and into 2018 will be about what she does on the court, rather than what she has endured off it. For all the talk of the resurgence of Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal in 2017, Williams’ return to form may be the most compelling story in tennis for 2017. Not only has she faced more serious health and personal challenges during her career, but few who saw her matches over the past few years would have imagined that she would replicate her dominant Slam performances of 15 years ago — which is the last time Williams reached three Grand Slam semi-finals. Moreover, her appearance in the US Open semi-finals on Thursday will be the first time she has gone this far in the tournament since 2010.

When we look at Williams today, at 37, it’s hard not to see the 17-year-old with the beads and the wide smile that tore through her first US Open draw to make the final in 1997.

The smile may be more knowing and less exuberant, but the love of the game remains unchanged. And it has endured, through illness and distractions, an ambitious father, and a younger sister who raced ahead of her and emerged as the greatest player of all time. It would be entirely fitting if Williams was to cap off her improbable story with a title in New York, but regardless of the outcome, she has already won both on and off the court.