Top 10 Stories from the 2017 Australian Open
By Isobel Moody
2. All-Williams Final, One More Time
One of the matchups at the business end of the Australian Open was one we’d waited a long time to see in a slam final again, since 2009. That was when Serena Williams beat big sister Venus at Wimbledon, which was the beginning of the end for the latter. More losses and an autoimmune disorder followed. We wondered if Venus might retire. Even when she figured out a way to keep playing on the tour and often play well, her going so far to make a slam final again seemed unlikely.
One should never underestimate a Williams sister. In Melbourne, Venus played like it was 2009 again. Her opponents for the first four rounds were on the easy side, but she took no chances, conceding no sets, and allowing third round opponent Yingying Duan only one game. Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova was harder, but she beat her in straight sets too. Vandeweghe wrestled a set off her in the semifinals, but Venus still won. Meanwhile, Serena did what we expect her to do still, as she too reached the final. She had to take out two strong up and comers on the way. We once again had the thrill of seeing this incredible sister act sharing the court. Even if, ultimately, the match wasn’t as good as anyone would’ve liked.
Venus reaching the final was her glory. When Serena won in straight sets, she achieved still more. It was her 23rd slam, taking her past Steffi Graf. Now she alone holds the second place on the list for most singles slams of all time, only one away from tying record-holder Margaret Court. She also got her number one ranking back. And in her victory speech, she was sure to give Venus credit.
Had the match been better, or the ending different, this would’ve been the story of the tournament. As it was, there was only one match which could eclipse it…