In one of the loudest matches in tennis history, Venus Williams held off Sandra Zahlavova 6-7 (6), 6-0, 6-4 to reach the third round. Venus was seemingly in control of the opening set, leading 4-1 and holding set points on Zahlavova's serve. But a rash of errors let the 97th-ranked Czech, who can yell with the best (worst?) of them, back in it. She won a close tiebreaker on a point that saw Venus let out a bloodcurdling scream, owing to an apparent groin injury. The American received treatment for over 10 minutes before the start of the second set, looking weary upon her return.
I thought Venus was about to retire as she walked out from the locker room. Once she got the court, her mobility was significantly compromised. Naturally, she won the set 6-0. The underdog's best chance had passed her by, quite quickly at that. While she improved by leaps in the third set, she was unable to punish Venus with any of her shots on a consistent basis and exhibited plenty of nerves. It was far from pretty for Venus, but her quick turnaround must be commended.
As for her choice of top? We won't go that far. Like I said, it was a very loud match.
—Ed McGrogan