The powerful wildcard pair of Venus Williams and Leylah Fernandez once again showed us how their perfectly synced aggressive mindset is their winning formula, in their Round 2 victory over Ulrikke Eikeri of Norway and Eri Hozumi of Japan, 7-6 (7/1), 6-1.
The 45-year-old American and her 22-year-old Canadian partner are through to the third round as their dream run continued at Flushing Meadows.
Impressive serving
The match on Louis Armstrong Stadium took over an 1 hour and 37 minutes, with impressive serving from the Fernandez-Williams duo, who won 79% on their first serve.
They also won 57% of their break points, against their opponents’ 20%.
The winning pair denied their opponents pace, with great shot placement and fast reflexes at the net.
Despite an early struggle in the first set, the pair quickly regained their form, winning seven points in a row to close out the first set, after which the match was very much in their hands.
Despite their 23-year age gap, Fernandez and Williams have blurred the lines between tennis’s old guard and new generation.
They have proved that the baton can be passed down, whilst the baton-giver is still very much instrumental in the game.
Venus Williams, in this case, the ‘baton-giver’, is playing in her 25th US Open. Her accolades include seven grand slam singles titles, and 14 women’s doubles grand slam titles.
The last time she reached the third round of a grand slam was at the French Open in 2018, with her sister Serena.
Rolled back the years
Her dream run has rolled back the years with a vigour and enthusiasm matched by her vivacious doubles partner, despite their age gap.
Fernandez, the runner up at the 2021 US Open against Emma Raducanu, and holder of four singles titles, has previously spoken about how thrilled she was when Williams agreed to pair up, saying that after their initial phone conversation, she jumped around like it was Christmas day.
The camaraderie, encouragement and ball striking from the pair has made for enthralling viewing, often punctuated by deafening roars of appreciation from a packed stadium today, especially on match point, and then again, during Williams’s celebratory signature pirouette.
With her arm perfectly positioned in the air, Williams looked majestic as she twirled like a ballerina on court wearing her own label, EleVen by Venus, with grey/black two-tone pleats embellished in sparkling diamantes, showcasing the American star’s balletic movement, power and gracefulness all at once.
Killer instinct
At their post-match press conference, Fernandez spoke of the effect that Williams’s killer instinct had on her.
“That kind of brought up my energy too, seeing and hearing, seeing what Venus is doing on court. It’s so incredible.”
This is the first time the two have paired up. Williams spoke of how their mutually aggressive games have helped their dynamic.
“I think we both have very aggressive games. We’re looking to move forward, we’re looking to control the point, I think we have very similar mindset, similar attitude.
“So I think we’re, like, on this wavelength that makes it easy for us to really move in the same direction”.
Fernandez echoed Venus, speaking of their dynamic.
“You know, when I cross, I know Venus is, like, behind me moving to the other corner; when she crosses, I’m going to go to the other corner. Just kind of like a nice harmony dynamic”.
On-court chemistry
Referencing of their on-court chemistry and fun, The South African’s Amisha Savani asked the pair whether there were plans to extend their partnership beyond the US Open, perhaps for the Australian Open, even though Venus had recently spoken of not wanting to travel.
Venus Williams replied, laughing: “If she (Fernandez) can get me on the road, definitely. I don’t know what can get me out there. I love Asia, I love Australia, I love all those places. It’s just so far away”.
Turning to her partner, a smiling Williams asked: “Where are you playing next?” to which Fernandez replied, laughing: “I don’t know actually. It’s so far away”.
Turning to Savani, Williams smiled, answering: “We need some internal talk first”.
Williams was also asked what it meant to her that both Naomi Osaka and Coco Gauff have cited her and Serena as inspirations for their careers.
“I honestly don’t think of it that way. When I see those matches, I think how exciting it is for tennis, like everyone will be watching.
“That’s what tennis needs. So I guess if at some point I was a part of that equation, amazing, but now, like, they’re flying”.
UPDATE: Leylah Fernandez and Venus Williams would go on to beat 12th seeds Ekaterina Alexandrova and Shuai Zhang in the third round, 6-3, 6-4, before losing 6-1, 6-2 to top seeds Taylor Townsend and Katerina Siniakova in the quarter-finals.
Amisha Savani was reporting exclusively from the US Open in Flushing Meadows, New York for The South African
