zahlavova

zahlavova:Williams struggles as Henin wins easily
Venus Williams is in pain during her second-round match.
Venus Williams is in pain during her second-round match. Photo: Joe Armao
VENUS Williams conjured one of the great comebacks of her career yesterday to progress to the third round, but the victory over feisty Czech Sandra Zahlavova may come at a price.
Williams, 30, could not guarantee that she would play tomorrow after she strained a muscle in her right groin in the act of hitting a two-handed backhand at the end of the first set, which she lost in a tie-breaker.
While she returned to the court strapped up and closed out the three-hour match in the last two sets, Williams said the injury was ”probably the most acute one that I’ve ever had”.
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“I think this was one of the toughest ones for sure,” she said. “But I just wanted to stay on the court and try to survive and see if I could feel better another day.”
Williams said she might not have continued had it not been a grand slam tournament. “For me, it’s definitely I carry on because I want to know at the end of the day that I gave 100 per cent. When I look back, I have no regrets that I could have done more or I could have done less, whatever it may have been. For me it’s peace of mind.”
But it was busines as usual for dual grand slam champion Svetlana Kuznetsova, former Open winner Justine Henin and world No.1 Caroline Wozniacki, who all won through to the third round yesterday.