#VenusWilliams, the 38-year-old who just refuses to go down without a fight. Down 6-7, 3-5, the American was set for yet another first-round exit at the #AustralianOpen. She was handed a tough opening round opponent in Melbourne for the second consecutive year, having lost to Belinda Bencic in straight sets despite defending finalist points. In 2019, she was drawn to face 25th seed #MihaelaBuzarnescu, who has experienced one of the biggest leaps in ranking recently.
Buzarnescu retrieved from 3-5 down in the first set and grabbed the first set out of nowhere although she came into the encounter as the slight underdog having not won a match since the 2018 Rogers Cup due to a scary-looking ankle injury which prevented her from coming up with her best tennis.
However, Williams stormed straight back and put up an inspired performance to triumph in three sets, fending off a series of break points in the decider to remain ahead and seal the victory. The American claimed 68 percent of her first serves, firing 41 winners to just 40 unforced errors. Buzarnescu struggled on her second deliveries, but it was still a decent performance considering she found 34 winners and misfired on just 31 occasions.
Buzarnescu steals the first set
It was an absolutely stunning start from Williams, who stormed to a confident opening service hold after hitting four big winners. This was the best possible opening to the match anyone would have asked for, and she stomped her authority across the court which could have intimidated her opponent.
Meeting for the first time in their careers, both players dominated their service games and it was a very tight affair until the eighth game which saw Williams make the first breakthrough of the match. Three consecutive winners from the American saw her finally breaking serve on her first opportunity, jumping out to a commanding 5-3 alongside the golden opportunity to serve out the set.
Unexpectedly, it was a poor service game from Williams which provided Buzarnescu with a loophole to exploit on. The Romanian rattled off eight of the next nine points, coming from nowhere to level the scoreboard. The first set was ultimately brought into a tiebreak after the 25th seed fired a backhand winner.
She was utilizing the forehand slice to neutralize Williams’ power extremely well — which was what kept her close to the win today. Consecutive errors saw the seven-time Major champion trailing by a huge deficit of four points, and she was unable to recover from it as Buzarnescu sent down an unreturnable ace to claim the first set.
Williams fights back from the brink
Buzarnescu carried the momentum into the second set and continued riding on her good run as she held an important service game to start the new frame. It was essential towards keeping her lead, as a break for Williams would mean that a comeback will be likely while a hold will destroy Williams’ rhythm.
Looking all over the place, it just seemed as though Williams was not on the court for the past 20 minutes having been 5-3 up in the first set. Her serve was broken once again, allowing the Romanian to lead by a set and a break which consolidated her initial lead. Williams was determined not to be a pushover, though, fighting straight back to retrieve the break and return on serve.
Consecutive holds followed, but the American threw in multiple double-faults and put herself in an exceptionally dangerous position as Buzarnescu surged towards a 5-3 lead, earning the chance to close out the match on her serve.
Things were not meant to be, as Buzarnescu surprisingly retreated into her defensive zone and played extremely passively, a surprise considering she was relentless in being aggressive earlier on. The momentum shifted hands, and it was the former finalist who sent the match into a deciding set eventually.
Williams claims the huge win
Riding on her high confidence, Williams strolled towards an early 3-0 lead within a blink of an eye. Buzarnescu’s mind was certainly still revolving about her missed opportunities in the second set while Williams’ had already advanced to thinking about the final stages of this thrilling first-round encounter. Buzarnescu threw away the first break on a double-fault but rebounded to get onto the scoreboard with an ace at 0-3 down.
Williams had to fend off a break point with some world-class aggressive play, before holding for a 4-1 lead which would prove to be some costly missed chances for the 25th seed. It was an unfamiliar position for Williams, who had to enter the main draw of a Major as an unseeded player after being seeded for every Major tournament since the 2014 Australian Open.
Ruthless serving from Buzarnescu saw her saving two break points in the sixth game, remaining in contention for the improbable comeback. She regained the confidence she needed and stepped up her game to edge closer than ever to returning level. However, just when it mattered, Williams found a lighting serve which helped her find the backhand winner en route to holding serve.
In one of the most anti-climatic ways to end the match with, Buzarnescu put in a surprisingly poor service game to get broken for the second time in the decider, allowing a pumped-up Williams, who was surprisingly shouting “Come On” on several points, to grab the vital victory.
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