Venus Williams is alive at the U.S. Open, but she didn’t look all that well in advancing to the second round Tuesday evening.
Seeded No. 6 on the women’s side, Williams, a two-time champion here playing in her 18th Open, preceded sister Serena on center court at Arthur Ashe Stadium, and committed 63 unforced errors as she scuffled to beat Kateryna Kozlova, 6-2, 5-7, 6-4.
“The errors told the story,” said Williams, who made her 72nd appearance in a Grand Slam, a new record for the Open era. “If I could cut those in half, that would be a better story.”
It was a long tale. The match lasted 2 hours and 43 minutes. Pushed to a third set, she relied on experience to push ahead of an opponent she had never faced before.
“It was great to be challenged and pushed,” she said. “I didn’t know much about her game at all. Literally zero. The game she plays is pure defense and she does well with it.”
Kozlova, a 22-year-old from the Ukraine who is ranked No. 93 in the world, nearly authored an upset in front of the American crowd, and drew applause on multiple occasions for successful passing shots.
The match served as a reminder that Williams is vulnerable as she grows older. Now 36 with over $34 million in prize money to her name, she looked worn by match’s end.