In a trying, traumatic week, Venus perseveres into fourth round

For the second straight match, it wasn’t easy. And for the second straight match, Venus Williams came out on top.

It’s been the story of her career, and it’s been the story yet again this week at Wimbledon.

The American defeated 19-year-old Naomi Osaka, 7-6 (3), 6-4, in the third round on Friday after coming from a set down to defeat Qiang Wang on Wednesday.

With the win, the 37-year-old became the oldest woman to reach the fourth round of Wimbledon since Martina Navratilova in 1994. (Also 37 that year, she lost to Conchita Martinez in the final.)

Williams, seeded 10th, will face another teenager in her next match with a quarterfinal berth on the line. 27th seed Ana Konjuh, also 19, upset eighth-seeded Dominika Cibulkova earlier in the day to advance to the round of 16. The future Hall of Famer and the up-and-coming Croat have never played.

It’s been a trying, traumatic week for Williams—prior to the tournament she was accused of causing a car crash that led to a 78-year-old man’s death—and she broke down in the press room after her opening-round win against Elise Mertens. The seven-time Grand Slam champion looks focused, though, and in a wide-open field with no clear-cut favorite she appears to have as good of a shot as anyone heading into the second week.

Williams has won five titles at the All England Club in her illustrious career, but her last championship at Wimbledon came in 2008. She reached the semifinals here last year.

—GRAND SLAM WEEK: WatchWimbledon Primetime on Tennis Channel, and catch up on the other 2017 Grand Slams on Tennis Channel Plus

—Watch encores from the 2017 French Open and Australian Open on Tennis Channel Plus, including matches like the AO Final showdown between Serena & Venus Williams**