Venus Williams bows out in first round of women’s singles at US Open
Venus Williams’ stunning Wimbledon loss to Venus Williams was the first time the No. 1 player had been beaten by a women’s world number one seed in the Open Era.
It’s no surprise the two met at the Wimbledon on July 1. Venus is No. 1 in the world by virtue of winning the Wimbledon championship in 1997. Williams was No. 7 at No. 1 the old way.
Venus Williams (right) was the first player to reach the semis at the Wimbledon championships since Steffi Graf in 1979.(AP Images)
The Wimbledon final wasn’t the first time the two were on the same side of the net. In 1996 Williams beat Venus in the Australian Open final, then defeated her on the US Open court in 1997.
The two first met in the 1991 U.S. Open at the age of 16. Williams, who was 16 at the time, beat Venus in the quarterfinals. Venus returned the favor the next year, winning the women’s singles at the U.S. Open.
While it wasn’t the first time the two players met, Venus was the first player to beat No. 1 in the first Open Era.
“It will be in the history books as one of the first of its kind,” Williams said about meeting Venus.
In fact, Williams said, she was happy to be a part of it.
“I have always said that I’m fortunate to have met my idols. I will forever be grateful that I got to meet Venus in the U.S. Open. So no matter what happens I will always be grateful I met Venus.”
Williams went on to lose to Venus in the Wimbledon finals the next year for the first time in her career. In fact, Williams was the first player to lose to an unseeded player in the event’s history.
In 1999, Venus defeated Venus Williams the first time as a No. 1 seed in the Open Era. Now Venus would have to work hard to earn
