It figures that a match between the oldest and youngest players in the Wimbledon draw would feature some extremes.
An extremely hot start from Venus Williams, the 36-year-old, five-time Wimbledon champion: She won five of the first six games before Daria Kasatkina, the 19-year-old world No. 33, took the next four. But the veteran recovered to take the first set, 7-5.
Extreme moments of pressure: After Kasatkina won the second set 6-4, she led by a break in the third at 4-3. Her compact backhand swing is a thing of beauty, extremely effective and advanced for her age. The look, if not the effectiveness, resembles the two-hander of Novak Djokovic. Her forehand imparts more spin on the ball but is also technically sound. There’s a lot to like from Kasatkina, both now and for the future.
But her serve can be shaky, which we saw in the third set. She double faulted to give the break back, then provided Williams with a match point at 4-5 with another ill-timed double. (Aren’t they all?)
Then it was Williams’ turn to show some nerves despite a level of experience that utterly surpasses Kasatkina’s. Williams looked tentative on match point, letting the ball come to her and ultimately being undone by a body blow that she couldn’t handle. It emboldened Kasatkina, who respected but didn’t fear her opponent today.
And, finally, this match included some extreme weather. When Williams reached her second match point at 7-6, her moment had arrived. At the same time, so did rain—a downpour, in fact. In a split-second, the grounds crew were at their battle stations ready to cover No. 1 Court. With her mouth agape, Williams sauntered toward the locker room in disbelief. It was the 10th rain delay so far at Wimbledon this year, and the fifth on Friday.