Former World No. 1 Venus Williams today took a stunning three-sets victory over compatriot CoCo Vandeweghe coming from a set down, winning 6-7, 6-2, 6-3 to make the finals of the Australian Open.
Venus will play either her own sister, Serena Williams, or Mirjana Lucic-Baroni in the finals.
Williams last made the finals of the Australian Open in 2003; the seven-time Grand Slam winner has never won the title here before in the singles, but has four doubles titles and one in the mixed doubles.
The older Williams sister, who this year will be 37-years-old, struggled in past years with her health, and was diagnosed in 2012 with Sjogren’s Syndrome, an autoimmune disorder that has caused her severe pain and fatigue. Despite this, however, Williams made a mammoth comeback to tennis – her second, and in late 2015 began a quick ascent to return to the top 10 by 2016; she is currently at 17th.
No stranger to injury
Venus Williams has had wrist injuries hamper her career earlier, and following a short derailment returned to World No. 2 then in thundering fashion. Now an icon for perseverance, the older Williams sister will likely face her younger sibling, World No. 2 Serena.
Serena, if she wins the Open, can regain her World No. 1 title.
That said, the two last met at the quarter-finals of the 2015 US Open – an encounter Serena won; the pair’s head-to-head record, though slanted in favour of Serena, is close at 16-11 – and with both players in stellar form, it will be a treat to watch an all-Williams final.
