Venus Williams, aged 43 and ranked No. 697, pulls off an upset at Birmingham Classic

Venus Williams celebrates after defeating Italy’s Camila Giorgi in the Birmingham Classic tournament at Edgbaston Priory Club, Birmingham on June 19, 2023.
| Photo Credit: AP

At age 43 and ranked No. 697, Venus Williams isn’t done quite yet — especially on her favoured surface of grass. Williams upset 48th-ranked Camile Giorgi 7-6 (5), 4-6, 7-6 (6) after more than three hours at the Birmingham Classic on June 19 for her first victory over a player in the top 50 in nearly four years.

Williams, a seven-time Grand Slam champion and five-time winner of the Wimbledon singles, was out for six months because of a hamstring injury sustained in Auckland in the first week of the year. On her return last week, she lost to 17-year-old Celine Naef in the first round of the Libema Open in the Netherlands.

Alos Read | Venus Williams loses to Swiss teen on return to competition

Williams said that it was “touch and go” against Giorgi. “There were so many moments where I thought, This match is over, then she would hit a shot from out of nowhere,” Williams said. “She pushed me to be better than what I thought I could be, and it’s great for me.”

“I haven’t played a lot of matches, and it’s great to come through,” Williams added.

There were also wins for third-seeded Magda Linette of Poland, fifth-seeded Anhelina Kalinina of Ukraine and Bernarda Pera of the United States in the Wimbledon warmup event.