With the outdoor hard spring session done and dusted, the WTA Tour is migrating towards clay having the first important stop in Charleston, the biggest Tennis tournament for women only. Being a Premier event, it lured in some big names of the women's circuit including this year's Australian Open runner-up Venus Williams. Despite the age, Willimas is having a great season so far as she is ranked as no. 5 in WTA Race just behind her younger sister Serena. But Venus' hopes on the usual green clay came to and end against a highly-motivated German player.
Laura Siegemund saved two match points on Venus' serve
Venus Williams, 2 times champion in Charleston, saw herself being ousted by Laura Siegemund (37 WTA). The 29-year-old German was so close to defeat but somehow managed to deal with the high pressure saving match points in the process. The opening set was brutal as both players let their guard down. There were 7 breaks of serve from a total of 10 games. The German went on winning the opener by 6-4. The next one was pretty close and Williams had to save a match point on Siegemund's serve at 5-4 for the German. Eventually, it went down to a tie-break where the American prevailed. The decisive act saw a rerun of the first set having both unable to hold serve.
This time, Venus procured first two match points but failed to convert at least one despite being behind her own serve. It was the key moment of the encounter. Eventually, Venus lost the set by 7-5 leaving the contest in its early stages. For Laura Siegemund it seems that the clay has always brought some inspiration. Last year, from a seemingly unknown player, she went on playing the final in Stuttgart.
Venus should avoid an extended clay schedule
It's common knowledge that playing on a clay court requires an extra tank of fuel. It's the most demanding surface of all and for Venus Williams might not produce a similar impact that outdoor hard had. In 2017, she already has played 18 matches winning 14 of them. Her next big target should be the grass swing where the exchanges tend to be shorter. Venus is not the only major casualty in Charleston. Madison Keys and Elena Vesnina were also eliminated.
