Two-time champion Venus Williams, the second oldest woman in the US Open, defeated Kimiko Date Krumm, the tournament's leading senior citizen, to make the second round Monday, overcoming bee attacks in the process.
Williams, the 34-year-old champion of 2000 and 2001, won 2-6, 6-3, 6-3 against her Japanese opponent who will be 44 in September.
Seventy-two women in the main draw this year weren't even born when Date Krumm made her New York debut back in 1989.
But she made a mockery of her age as she glided through the opening set against a player she had lost to in all of their three previous meetings.
Gradually, though, the crushing 30-degree heat and the trapped humidity inside the cavernous Arthur Ashe Stadium took its toll.
Date Krumm was also not helped by a bee attack midway through the first set which halted her mid-stride and was only dealt with by the swift intervention of the ballboys as the Japanese star attempted to shrug it off before being reduced to fits of laughter.
In contrast, Williams effortlessly chopped away at the bee when the insect returned in the decider, where she raced to a 5-0 lead.
Date Krumm gallantly chipped away at the deficit but wilted under the American's barrage with the tie wrapped up in just a shade over two hours when Date Krumm netted a weary backhand.
"Well, the bee was a challenge but Kimiko was the greater challenge of course. She has such great timing and you can never settle into a rhythm," said Williams after a match which featured 13 breaks of serve.
Williams, the 19th seed, goes on to next face either Kiki Bertens of the Netherlands or Switzerland's Timea Bacsinszky.
Source: AFP
