After an unbelievably excellent 2017, #VenusWilliams struggled to back up her results as she failed to find her best tennis throughout the majority of 2018 and her ranking plummeted as a result. The legendary American started the year inside the top-five but was unable to defend her points as she was constantly met with some tough draws, but nonetheless, she will look to defy her age and make a push up in the rankings once again next year.
It was a rather disappointing season from Williams whose 2017 made us believe that she can challenge for the biggest titles in the sport once more. The American amassed a decent 17-11 (.607) overall win-loss record throughout the year, and only managed to play one solitary match against a top-10 player. Despite so, she was still handed some tricky draws with quality opponents awaiting in the early rounds, as seen through the average ranking (40.7) of players whom she lost to.
High Points of the Season
Williams’ first celebrations of the year came at the Fed Cup when she led her country in their first-round clash against the Netherlands. Performing well during the weekend, the American carried her team’s expectations well, triumphing over two tricky opponents without losing a set in the process.
The North American hardcourt swing was fruitful for Williams — she received difficult draws on both occasions but managed to survive some tough challenges from her opponents. As the eighth seed at the BNP Paribas Open, Venus shocked her sister Serena in straight sets, her first win over Serena since 2014. Flawless performances against 21st seed Anastasija Sevastova and 27th seed Carla Suarez Navarro followed, but she ran out of steam against the fearless Daria Kasatkina in the semifinals.
Players often step up to the occasion when they face Venus, which is considered as an honour for most of them out there. Qualifier Natalia Vikhlyantseva was outrageously impressive in their second-round encounter at the Miami Open but Williams stepped up her game and got down to business immediately, sealing the tight affair in straight sets. She also had to recover from a huge deficit against Kiki Bertens to triumph and defeated Johanna Konta in a repeat of last year’s semifinal thriller. Just when Williams was tipped to claim the title, she was stunned by qualifier and world number 93 Danielle Collins in the last eight, ending her Miami campaign abruptly.
Low Points of the Season
It was a rather disastrous start to the new season for Williams, who chose to compete at the Apia International Sydney for the first time in 20 years. In a packed draw, the American was drawn to face the two-time Major champion Angelique Kerber in the second round having received a bye. Going up against the resurgent German, Williams put up a tough fight but ultimately fell in three sets.
More disappointment followed when she was handed a tricky first-round opponent at the Australian Open, where she was defending finalist points. It turned out that former top-10 player Belinda Bencic was waiting in the opening round. A slow start is always common for the seven-time Major champion, and she had to pay a huge price this time as the Swiss triumphed in straight sets.
Clay has always been Williams’ least preferred surface — and we could understand through her results. She was conquered by the same opponent, Anett Kontaveit, at both the Mutua Madrid Open and the Internazionali BNL D’Italia and entered the French Open with just one win on clay. Handed yet another tough draw, she had to manoeuvre her way around the solid-hitting Wang Qiang but was unable to do so, resulting in another first-round exit at a Major.
After coming so close to lifting the Venus Rosewater Dish once again in 2017, Williams would have fancied her chances this year especially after receiving a decent draw which could have paved the way for yet another Wimbledon title run. However, she could not pounce on her opportunity as she was vanquished by the late-blooming Kiki Bertens in the third round.
The US Open Series was the perfect opportunity for Williams to push her ranking up but once again she was wasteful on her chances. She was stunned by the unheralded Maria Sakkari in the quarterfinals of the Mubadala Silicon Valley Classic before a knee injury halted her progress at the Rogers Cup where she was crushed 2-6, 2-6 by world number one and eventual champion Simona Halep. That was coincidentally her only match against a top-10 player this year. Williams was also forced to withdraw from the Western and Southern Open due to the problematic knee.
Seeded 16th at the US Open, Williams was handed an extremely tough draw with rival Svetlana Kuznetsova, who was returning from an injury, waiting in the first round. Although the American got past her fellow veteran in three gruelling sets, another tough challenge awaited: the hard-hitting Camila Giorgi. Williams put in an impressive performance to oust the Italian and set-up a blockbuster meeting with sister Serena under the lights of the majestic Arthur Ashe Stadium. Surprisingly, Venus was completely outclassed with a one-sided 1-6, 2-6 scoreline and that marked the end of her season as she chose to skip the Asian swing.
Season Grade: C
It definitely could have been a much better season for Williams, who would have come into the new year with higher expectations having tasted success last year. Although she failed to maintain her high ranking and vie for the big titles, she has shown some patches of excellence which allows her fans to believe that she will return stronger in 2019.
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