Wimbledon, the world’s oldest tennis tournament, began Monday at the All England Club in London. Venus Williams was forced to rally in today’s second round match to take down Japan’s Kimiko Date-Krumm and advance to the third round. Williams, who is seeded 23rd this year, fell behind 6-7 in the first set, but was able to stage a 6-3 comeback in the second set. The five-time Wimbledon Champion clinched the victory with an 8-6 win in the third after almost three hours of play at Centre Court.
Though Date-Krumm was able to defeat Williams in the first set, the American’s serve was key in powering through the last two sets to win the match. Despite dropping the first set, Williams battled back after trailing 5-1 and saved seven set points throughout the set, but it still wasn’t enough.
The 40-year-old Date-Krumm, the second-oldest player to reach round two of Wimbledon, lost the match after hitting a backhand passing shot wide. The crowd of 15,000 gave the players a standing ovation after the match was completed. All of Wednesday’s other matches were delayed due to rain.
Williams missed almost five months this year due to a hip injury. She returned to action at the AEGON International Tournament in Eastbourne, England.
