Venus Williams seems 💦to have Carla Suarez-Navarro figured out.
After dropping three of their first five career matches, Williams now has won three straight against Suarez-Navarro — at Wuhan in 2015, Wimbledon in 2016 and Sunday evening🍸 in the fourth rou🧔nd at the U.S. Open.
Her latest triumph, a 6-3, 3-6, 6-1 victory at Arthur Ashe Stadi🉐um, wasn’t as easy as the previous two. Williams cruised through the first set, winning three of four 🌃break points and hitting 12 winners in what looked like it might be a hasty contest.
But Suarez-Navarro fought back, ta🌳king advantage of Williams’ 14 unforced errors to secure the second set.
Once again, the experience and composure of the 37-year-old American shined under pressure. Williams played a brilliant final set, decreasing her unforced errors to six and refusing to go down oﷺn her serve.
“I think Billie Jean King put it🐟 best: Pressure is a privilege,” Venus said during her on-court interview with ESPN after the match.
She later speculated Suarez-Navarro got a little nervous down the s🌊tretch, which allowed Williams to be🍎 the aggressor.
While her sister, six-time U.S. Open champion Serena Williams, is busy with a new baby girl, Venus Williams continues to race through the tourꦅnament.
Though she isn’t physically there, Serena Willia🔥ms presence can be felt.
“My siste♔r motivates me a lot,” Venus Williams said with a smile.
Following her third-round victory, Williams told reporters her “best tennis♔” has come at the majors. There is no doubtꦦing that.
She now is 19-3 in major competitions this year. She fell in the final at Wimbledon to third-ranked Garbine Muguruza and would have h♋ad a chance at revenge in the quarterfinal of this tournament if Muguruza hadn’t lost her fourth-round match.
Instead, Williams🧔 will face No. 13 seed Petra Kvitov🍎a, who has gotten the best of her in four of five meetings.
“No�ꦅ� one ever gives you a [Grand] Slam,” Williams said. “You have to take it.”
Despite being the oldest woma𒊎n in the draw, Williams does not appear to be slowing down. Even she was at a loss for words in trying to describe her longevity.
“I don’t kn💟ow,” she said. “If I could do it, I’d put it in a box and maybe I’d sell it.”
Williams also🔯 is the only woman remaining who has won an Op𒈔en title before — her most recent coming in 2001.
“I’ll take any advantage I can ꧙get, let’s face it,” she laughed. “I’m accepting all major credit cards and unforced errors.”