Serena Williams turns up the volume as the queen of Wimbledon battles past Arantxa Rus
As Serena Williams began her 18th Wimbledon campaign on Monday, it was hard to say which was her biggest asset: the 115mph serve, or the ability to make her opponents’ blood run cold.
Williams looked uncomfortable at times against the unheralded Arantxa Rus, a Dutchwoman ranked No 105 in the world. The wind was swirling violently around No 1 Court, and her stuttering footwork – which is not yet grooved after just seven previous matches in the last 18 months – left her struggling to time the ball.
But whenever things became sticky, Williams turned up the volume. She doesn’t grunt so much as roar, like the alpha female in a pride of lions. At one point late in the first set, she accompanied a forehand volley with such a shout that the BBC’s watching commentator Martina Navratilova couldn’t help chuckling.
“That was the loudest volley I’ve ever heard,” said Navratilova, pointing out that there is no great physical effort involved in the short punch of a volley swing. “That’s imposing herself on her opponent. It’s intimidation big time.”
There is something territorial about the way that Williams occupies these 13-and-a-half acres. Having spent the weekend hanging out at the polo with Prince Harry and the Duchess of Sussex, she can justly claim to be the queen of Wimbledon.
For the last time anyone beat her here, you have to go back to the third round of 2014, when Alize Cornet staged an unlikely ambush on this same No 1 Court. Since then, Williams has clocked up 15 straight wins in a sequence that includes two titles and a tournament missed because she was in the final trimester of pregnancy.
After such a lengthy absence, she remains well short of peak form. But Rus – an athletic left-hander who scrambled well out of the corners – was never going to be allowed to interrupt her campaign before it has gathered momentum. “'I don’t think I was at my best today,” Williams said after her 7-5, 6-3 victory. “But hopefully I'll be able to get there.”
This is where those bloodcurdling cries came in. We heard them for the first time in Paris five weeks ago, when Williams was a set and a break down to the unassuming Aussie Ashleigh Barty. Connecting with a crunching backhand return, she then perforated Barty’s eardrums with her yell of celebration. You could almost see Barty’s knees knock together, as if she had seen – or rather heard – a ghost.
On Monday, Williams tried to get after Rus in the same way. When she forced an error to bring up 40-30 in the 11th game, she clenched her fist in front of her face. But rather than looking to her box in the normal fashion, she stared straight up the court at her opponent instead. As Navratilova pointed out on commentary, “That’s when you know she really wants it, when she starts getting noisy like that.”
To her credit, Rus didn’t flinch, remaining locked in her own bubble of concentration. But the whole display clearly roused Williams, who found her most convincing strokeplay at the business end of both sets.
This was her 87th victory at Wimbledon – placing her fourth in the all-time standings behind Navratilova, Chris Evert and her sister Venus – and the first claimed under the title of Mrs Williams. Asked later about the chair umpire’s use of her married name, she replied: “It still doesn't register that I'm married actually. It's just crazy. So much has happened in the past 12 months.”
It was also her first Wimbledon victory while wearing compression tights under her understated white dress – a medical necessity since she suffered life-threatening blood clots in the immediate aftermath of her daughter’s birth. There was no major fashion statement, nothing to match the superhero-style catsuit that she unveiled at the French Open. But there is still time for fancy dress. Williams looked dangerous enough to suggest that we will be seeing plenty more of her, perhaps even a deeper run than she managed in Paris.
“Patrick [Mouratoglou], my coach, said she was a very tricky opponent after the match,” said Williams, who has also chosen to follow Mouraglou’s advice this time by skipping the doubles competition. Her determination to play those extra matches with Venus at the French Open may have played a role in the right pectoral injury that struck her down after the third round. Although there was also a suspicion that she didn’t want to face her next opponent Maria Sharapova without more time to improve her match conditioning.
Since that withdrawal, Williams has been staying at her Paris apartment and training like the champion she is. Her next opponent here, the Bulgarian qualifier Viktoriya Tomova, will give her another chance to settle into the tournament. But things are likely to escalate quickly after, probably via a blockbuster third-round meeting with fifth seed Elina Svitolina.
Still, there are plenty of motivations for Williams as she targets an eighth Wimbledon title. Might her old friend Meghan show up in the Royal Box this week? “If I keep winning,” she replied with a smile.
Game, set and match! Williams defeats Rus 7-5, 6-3
Easy volley from Serena takes her to 30-15 before a brilliant backhand sets up an easy put-away for 40-15. Two match points. Rus saves them both though! The second with a brilliant forehand return. Moments later Williams earns a third match point, but she misses this one too with a loopy forehand return long. A service winner brings up a fourth match point. Can Serena take this one? No! Rus snares her opponent with a brilliant backhand crosscourt. Right how about fifth time lucky? This one earned with a huge forehand crosscourt. No, on we go. Rus smashes away a backhand return winner. Brilliant shot. Sixth time lucky perhaps? Another big forehand brings up this one. Game, set and match! Rus nets a forehand and at last Serena does claim the win after 1hr 28 min!
Williams is through to the Wimbledon second round where she'll play Viktoriya Tomova or Tereza Smitkova on Wednesday.
Williams* 7-5, 5-3 Rus (*next server) - Williams breaks
Two brilliant forehands from Serena - the first a clean winner - bring up 15-30. An excellent low return then earns the seven-time champion two break points at 15-40. Rus saves the first but nets a forehand on the second.
Four games in a row for Williams. She'll serve for the match.
Williams 7-5, 4-3 Rus* (*next server)
Three games in a row now for Serena after that blip earlier in the set. A fifth ace seals a hold to 15.
Williams* 7-5, 3-3 Rus (*next server) - Williams breaks back
Rus plays a loose few points to find herself down 15-40 and facing two break points. She saves the first one with a big serve but sends a backhand wide on the second and we're back on serve.
Williams 7-5, 2-3 Rus* (*next server)
Williams is in danger of going down a second break but she rallies from 0-30 to dig out a hold to 40-30. Serena does not look happy at the moment.
Williams* 7-5, 1-3 Rus (*next server)
Will that break in the previous game prove to be a turning point? Williams still looks frustrated after the misfortune she suffered and a couple of errors help Rus to a hold to 15.
Williams 7-5, 1-2 Rus* (*next server) - Rus breaks
Serena can't believe it. She flicks away a smash to supposedly seal the game to 30 but Rus's shot is incorrectly called out just before Williams goes to hit the ball and is then overruled as in. So the point is replayed. Williams thinks she's won it for a second time but this time a complete mishit from Rus flies over Serena's head and lands in. Rus then takes the next two point to claim an extremely unlikely break. That was incredibly unlucky for Serena.
Williams* 7-5, 1-1 Rus (*next server)
A brilliantly chased down drop volley and a skidding forehand pass are the highlights of an impressive hold to 15 for Rus.
Williams 7-5, 1-0 Rus* (*next server)
More strong defence from Rus draws a wild backhand from Serena to earn herself a break point at 30-40. Williams naturally saves it with a booming first serve. Two more big serves follow, and Serena claims the hold.
Williams* 7-5 Rus (*next server) - First set Williams
Two stinging Williams returns bring up 15-30, and after another epic rally Rus falters to hand her opponent two set points at 15-40. Rus saves the first but overhits a forehand on the second, and Serena takes the first set.
Williams 6-5 Rus* (*next server)
Huge roar from Serena after outlasting Rus in a gruelling baseline exchange to go up 40-30. A big serve seals the hold, and Rus will serve to stay in the set for a second time.
Williams* 5-5 Rus (*next server)
Chance here for Serena at 0-30 after Rus double faults and nets a forehand. Williams though misses a sitter of a backhand and after erring on the next two points has to draw an error from Rus to get back to deuce. Rus though takes the next two points to stay alive in this first set.
Williams 5-4 Rus* (*next server)
Serena is cranking up her serve speeds - nailing one at 114mph to move 40-0 up. Rus then skews a return well wide and it's a love hold.
Rus will serve to stay in the first set.
Williams* 4-4 Rus (*next server)
The wind is really swirling here on Court 1 - much more than on the other courts - and Serena can't get her timing right. Rus holds to 15 as Serena loops a return long.
Williams 4-3 Rus* (*next server)
Shot of the match so far from Williams - a brilliant backhand passing shot on the run to go up 40-15. She then beautifully guides a backhand pass crosscourt on the next point to complete the hold. A huge roar of "come on!" follows.
Williams* 3-3 Rus (*next server)
Rus looks in trouble down 15-30 but recovers well to hold to 30. She's acquitting herself very well so far, especially on the defensive side of her game.
Williams 3-2 Rus* (*next server)
Serena looks angry at losing those couple of games. She slams down some big serves - the last of which is an ace - to hold to 15.
Williams* 2-2 Rus (*next server) - Rus saves two break points and holds
A double fault and a loose forehand leave Rus staring at 15-40, and two break points. Williams wastes them both, struggling with the wind and miscuing a couple of groundstrokes. Rus then claims the next two points to dig out the hold.
Williams 2-1 Rus* (*next server) - Rus breaks back
Williams is down 0-30 again, and this time it becomes 15-40 and two break points Rus. Serena saves the first with a thudding forehand, but Rus claims the second after an entertaining exchange with both players at the net. We're back on serve.
It's extremely blustery out there.
Williams* 2-0 Rus (*next server) - Serena breaks
Rus looks nervy here and pushes a backhand miles long to fall down 15-40 and two break points. Serena takes the first one with a thumping forehand.
Serena claims the early break.
Williams 1-0 Rus* (*next server)
A double fault to start the match from Serena in what looks like very gusty conditions. She then fails to chase down a drop shot and falls down 0-30, but reels off the following four points and holds to 30.
Ready? Play
Warm-ups completed. Serena removes the leggings she was wearing for the warm-up.
We're under way - Serena serving first.
Here we go
Huge noise on Court 1 as the players take to the court. Serena enters with big white headphones, but no catsuit this time.
Nearly there
Serena and Arantxa will be on court shortly. They're just making their way from the locker room.
Serena Williams preview
Serena Williams says it isn't fair that she has been drug-tested more than other American tennis players this year.
"Just test everyone equally," the seven-time Wimbledon champion said Sunday at a pre-tournament news conference.
She was asked about the issue because of a recent report by Deadspin that said Williams had been checked five times in 2018 by June, more than other U.S. women and men in the sport.
U.S. Anti-Doping Agency spokesman Brad Horn told The Associated Press that the five tests conducted on Williams were a result of three visits from a test collector.
"It is standard practice on many testing missions to obtain both urine and blood samples, resulting in multiple samples from a single testing mission," Horn said.
Williams returned to competition this season after missing more than a year as a result of pregnancy. The 36-year-old American gave birth to a daughter last September.
Williams said she found it "a little frustrating" that she was deemed to have missed a test last month when a sample collector showed up at her house about 12 hours earlier than the time she had indicated she'd be available.
"I'm totally OK with testing and I encourage it," Williams said.
She added: "It's just about being equal and not centering one person out."
AP
