Robson defeats Venus in Rome
Briton Laura Robson beat Venus Williams 6-3, 6-2 in blustery conditions at the ATP/WTA Rome Masters on Monday and now faces the second half of a one-two punch when she next plays Williams’ sister and world number one, Serena.
The top-seeded American, who was watching from the stands, has targeted this week and hopes to follow up her Madrid trophy from the weekend.
“I’ve never played her and I have always wanted to,” Robson said of her Serena date.
“It’ll be a good test and she is playing probably her best tennis and so she is not losing and so its going to be insanely tough but I’m just going to go out there and do my best.”
The 39th-ranked Robson moved through to the second round in just under 90 minutes against Venus, the 1999 Rome winner now ranked 24th.
The five-time Wimbledon winner committed six double-faults, and dropped serve five times. Robson, 19, closed it out on her third match point.
Elsewhere in women’s play, Australian Samantha Stosur came third time lucky in her pre-French Open campaign, with the ninth seed finally scoring a 2013 European clay victory 6-2, 6-3 over Hsieh Su-Wei of Taiwan.
Stosur wasted no time in getting to Rome after her opening loss last week in Madrid to Carla Suarez Navarro, with 2010 Roland Garros finalist Stosur glad to get some work in on her game.
Germany’s Sabine Lisicki beat American Madison Burdette 6-1, 6-2, China’s Peng Shuai defeated Romanian Monica Niculescu 4-6, 6-3, 6-2 while Italian Nastassja Burnett put out 2008 finalist Alize Cornet 6-2, 6-2.
Post new comment