LONDON—Five-time champion Venus Williams, playing as a wildcard in her 23rd Wimbledon, showed vintage form to beat Romania’s Mihaela Buzarnescu 7-5 4-6 6-3 and reach the second round on Tuesday.
The oldest woman in the draw at 41, Williams had not won a match since reaching the second round at the Australian Open in February but showed she was far from finished on her return to a favourite place.
The Court Three clash of veterans, one of several held over due to rain on Monday, was the 271st victory of a remarkable Grand Slam career for Williams and, despite serving 10 aces, did not come easy.
41 years old and she's still out here fighting 💪@venuseswilliams gets her first #Wimbledon singles victory since 2018 to reach the second round pic.twitter.com/hNidu4FYGO
— Wimbledon (@Wimbledon) June 29, 2021
The American had pow…
Keep on reading: Wildcard Venus through to second round at her 23rd Wimbledon