“Elegance,” “grace,” and “champion” are three words that come to mind when referring to Venus Williams. Her illustrious career includes seven Grand Slam singles titles, as well as sixteen doubles and mixed doubles titles. In a year where women’s tennis has undergone a transitional period, with constant battles over the #1 spot, Venus Williams has been the personification of stability and consistency at Grand Slam tournaments. Her runs to the Australian Open and Wimbledon finals showed that the tennis world was wrong to underestimate her in light of her sister’s domination of the singles circuit. At 37 years young, Venus still moves remarkably well, and her serve and groundstrokes continue to be lethal weapons, especially on faster courts. Although the losses at Wimbledon and in Australia would have hurt both Venus and her fans, she still has the chance to round off a remarkable year by becoming World #1 at the US Open if circumstances permit. Four results have to go her way if this is to be the case: Simona Halep has to lose her first round match, Garbiñe Muguruza has to lose before the fourth round, Elina Svitolina has to lose before the semifinals, and Karolína Plíšková has to lose prior to the final. At first glance, it seems unlikely that all of these will happen, along with Venus winning the title herself. Nonetheless, the notion of Venus ascending to World #1 for the first time since 2002 is genuine possibility. Here’s why:
Halep’s horror first round match
As you’re no doubt aware, World #2 Simona Halep is due to face Maria Sharapova, the 2006 singles champion, in the first round at Flushing Meadows. Having been awarded a wild card to the event, Sharapova would not have been on Halep’s list of preferred opponents to kick off her quest for the US Open title. The Russian has won all six of their previous encounters, including a three-set battle in the 2014 Roland Garros final. It is fair to say that a lot has changed for Halep since, including her temperament on-court, and her ability to perform on the big stage. On the other hand, Sharapova is a born champion, whose mental strength and willingness to win are second perhaps only to Serena Williams. Therefore, there is a realistic chance that the first part of the jigsaw to enable Venus Williams’ ascension to #1 could come to fruition.
Muguruza’s US Open record
Despite many high-profile predictions tipping Muguruza for the title, including former world #1 Tracy Austin, the current Wimbledon champion has never made it beyond the second round at Flushing Meadows. She has lost two close second round matches in the past two years (the first of which came against then-qualifier Johanna Konta), and she faces a tricky opponent in former World #19 Varvara Lepchenko in the first round. Moreover, she could meet Kristýna Plíšková, twin sister of current world #1 Karolína Plíšková, in the third round. As good as her form in Cincinnati last week was, the fact that she doesn’t have a great record at Flushing Meadows and has tricky opponents in her side of the draw, could psychologically hinder Muguruza in her quest for the US Open title. Her path to the fourth round alone is far from a foregone conclusion.
Plíšková has Kerber and Ostapenko in her half of the draw
Karolína Plíšková is in a tricky position, as things stand. She is World #1, but she does not have a Grand Slam to her name yet, and her recent performances have been inconsistent at best. In addition to this, Plíšková has a lot of WTA ranking points to lose, having lost in a nail-biting final to Angelique Kerber last year. Only a run to the final will do for Plíšková this year, but former world #1 Kerber, Jelena Ostapenko, and the resurgent Elina Svitolina stand in her half of the draw. Of course, Svitolina reaching the semifinals would preclude Venus from getting to #1, but Kerber has been backed to do well by former champion Kim Clijsters. It is evident that Plíšková has her work cut out for her if she is to go one step further than last year at Flushing Meadows. Svitolina, meanwhile, does not have the easiest of draws herself, with Elena Vesnina and Madison Keys as potential fourth-round opponents, and Kerber as a potential quarterfinal foe.
Tennis players often say, with good reason, that the best way to win a Grand Slam is to take each match as it goes, irrespective of other results. Each time Venus Williams has gotten to the final of a Grand Slam this year, she has done so by playing her own game, without putting additional pressure on herself. It might seem far-fetched to claim that Venus has a genuine chance of re-claiming the #1 spot at the end of this year’s US Open. The facts, however, speak for themselves. If anybody has a chance of upsetting the odds and creating history at Flushing Meadows, it’s Venus Williams. She has overcome personal and professional setbacks this year to continue to set the bar for other players at fast-court Grand Slam tournaments. Who is to say she won’t surprise the tennis world again? And even if she does not successfully pick up the #1 ranking, the fact that Venus Williams is in a position to do that at this point in her career is nothing less than astounding–and something that we as tennis fans absolutely must appreciate.
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