Williams steals the show at LTA's Rothesay Classic Birmingham

20.06.2023 - 11:49 eurosport.com

Tennis legend Venus Williams rolled back the years to light up the opening day of the LTA's Rothesay Classic Birmingham with an enthralling three-set victory over Italian Camila Giorgi.

The seven-time Grand Slam singles champion, 43, was a wildcard entry to the tournament and booked her place in the second round with a battling 7-6(5) 4-6 7-6(6) win over the world No.48.

Ad And she said: «I am just so happy to be back. WimbledonSwiatek 'open-minded' about grass season, expects to be 'uncomfortable'20 MINUTES AGO »I haven't been here in a few years, and not because I didn't want to be, but because I wasn't really on tour. «I played so well today, she also played incredibly.

There were so many times when I thought the match was over and she would hit a shot from out of nowhere. »She pushed me to be better than what I thought I could be.

tennis darts Heather Watson Camila Giorgi Magda Linette Venus Williams Jasmine Paolini Katie Boulter Jodie Burrage Britain Italy Usa Poland Birmingham county Park

LONDON: Iga Swiatek's Wimbledon dream was hanging by the thinnest of threads as she faced two match points against Belinda Bencic but the world number one came through the toughest of tests to reach her first quarter-final at the grasscourt Grand Slam on Sunday (Jul 9).

Ostapenko believes the crowd made the difference at LTA's Rothesay Classic Birmingham

Jelena Ostapenko hailed the decisive support of the crowd as she won the LTA's Rothesay Classic Birmingham with a straight sets victory over Barbora Krejcikova.Â Ostapenko beat her fellow former French Open champion 7-6(8) 6-4, edging a mammoth tiebreak before eventually clinching the second.Â Ad It is the only match the Latvian hasÂ wonÂ in two sets all week, with all four of her matches en route to the final, including a hard-fought battle against Venus Williams, going the distance. TennisBroom and Monday lead British success on Day 1 at Wimbledon Qualifying10 MINUTES AGO Another decider looked possible when she failed toÂ serve for the title at 5-2 in the second setÂ but Ostapenko regained her composure to serve out the match.Â «Every match was a really tough one but it is great preparation for Wimbledon,» she said.

Ostapenko believes the crowd made the difference at LTAâ€™s Rothesay Classic Birmingham

Jelena Ostapenko hailed the decisive support of the crowd as she won the LTA's Rothesay Classic Birmingham with a straight sets victory over Barbora Krejcikova.Â Ostapenko beat her fellow former French Open champion 7-6(8) 6-4, edging a mammoth tiebreak before eventually clinching the second.Â Ad It is the only match the Latvian hasÂ wonÂ in two sets all week, with all four of her matches en route to the final, including a hard-fought battle against Venus Williams, going the distance. TennisOstapenko believes the crowd made the difference at LTAâ€™s Rothesay Classic Birmingham16 MINUTES AGO Another decider looked possible when she failed toÂ serve for the title at 5-2 in the second setÂ but Ostapenko regained her composure to serve out the match.Â «Every match was a really tough one but it is great preparation for Wimbledon,» she said.

Krejcikova and Ostapenko set to face off in Birmingham final

Two French Open champions will face off in the final of the LTA's Rothesay Classic Birmingham after Jelena Ostapenko and Barbora Krejcikova both sealed semi-final victories on Saturday. Top seed Krejcikova made simpler work of her task, beating Lin Zhu 6-3 6-2 before Ostapenko battled back from a set down to beat Anastasia Potapova 5-7 6-2 6-4.

Venus Williams handed Wimbledon wild card

Five-time Wimbledon singles champion Venus Williams has been awarded a wild card for next month's championships.