INDIAN WELLS, Calif. — For four rounds in the California desert, seven-time Grand Slam champion Venus Williams looked as primed for a run to a final as she has since, well, last year at this very tournament. A year ago at Indian Wells, she was ranked No. 8, played through two top-25 players (and little sister Serena) and didn’t drop a set until bowing out to Daria Kasatkina in the semis. Despite failing to make the final, Williams’ stellar performance at the 2018 BNP Paribas Open gave tennis fans — and Venus fans in particular — reason to believe the then-37-year-old had found a fountain of youth.
But in the year in between, little went right for Williams, who failed to make another semifinal, suffered two first-round losses — including one at Roland Garros — and fell to No. 36 in the world. She arrived this year at Indian Wells unseeded and playing in only her third tournament of 2019, but from her first serve she showed only a focused determination to make this the site of career singles title No. 50 in a storied but shortening career.
“I’m definitely playing with the home crowd here,” Williams said earlier this week. “Hopefully I can take advantage of that energy and momentum.”
After gritting out a tough three-setter against Andrea Petkovic in the first round, Williams rallied from down a set and two breaks against No. 3 Petra Kvitova and then cruised to two straight-set wins over Christina McHale and Mona Barthel. In each match, Williams was relentless, playing sharp and focused — her lethal, telegenic forehand a highlight of the tournament.