NEW YORK, Sept 2, 2020 (BSS/AFP) – Venus Williams bowed out of the US Open
in the first round for the first time in her professional career on Tuesday,
losing in straight sets to Karolina Muchova of the Czech Republic.
The 40-year-old Williams, making her 22nd appearance at Flushing Meadows in
a career that has spanned four decades, was beaten 6-3, 7-5.
It marked Williams’ second consecutive first round defeat at a Grand Slam
event after exiting the Australian Open at the same stage in January.
The seven-time Grand Slam champion has not been past the third round at a
Slam event since 2017.
Muchova — who was only one when Williams was playing in her first US Open
final in 1997, where she lost to Martina Hingis — always had the veteran
American star on the back foot on Tuesday.
After losing the first set, Williams rallied in the second and opened up a
5-3 lead, seemingly poised to force a third set.
But a string of unforced errors allowed Muchova to roar back into the match
and she reeled off four consecutive games to close out the win.
Muchova, the 20th seed, will play unseeded Russian Anna Kalinskaya in the
second round.