Venus Williams insists she’s not finished yet after becoming the oldest women’s grand slam semi-finalist in 23 years.
The 36-year-old continued her extraordinary career renaissance with a 6-4 7-6 (7-3) dismissal of Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova on Tuesday to reach the Australian Open last four for the first time since 2003.
But the ageless champion is anything but content.
“The semi-finals is a stepping stone, just like the other rounds,” Williams said.
“It’s an opportunity to advance. The tournament is by no means over. It’s definitely down to the business end.
I feel like I’m playing the kind of tennis I want to produce the results that I want.”
Williams next plays fellow American Coco Vandeweghe after the unseeded giantkiller backed up her fourth-round stoppage of titleholder and world No.1 Angelique Kerber with a 6-4 6-0 quarter-final dispatch of French Open champion Garbine Muguruza.
“I’m just so excited that I have an opportunity to play again on Thursday,” Williams said following her milestone 50th singles victory at Melbourne Park.
“It wasn’t the easiest start to the year. I had to withdraw from the first tournament and there’s so much anxiety that goes with that.”
A semi-finalist also at Wimbledon last year and quarter-finalist at the US Open, Williams’ revival comes six years after fears Srojden’s syndrome – a debilitating autoimmune disease – would end the former world No.1’s celebrated career.
Instead, she’s potentially a win away from an incredible ninth all-Williams grand slam final with sister Serena after putting away Pavlyuchenkova, a two-time Australian Open junior champion and 11 years her junior.
In a see-sawing opening set, Pavlyuchenkova twice led by a break, only to falter late.
From 4-3 up, the Russian dropped serve twice in a row as 13th seed Williams clubbed a backhand return winner down the line to snatch the set.
The second set was almost a carbon copy, with Pavlyuchenkova again broken from the same end while serving with a 4-3 lead.
The 2006 and 2007 girls’ champion in Melbourne, Pavlyuchenkova stood within two points of defeat in the 10th and 12th games of the second set but held firm to force a tiebreaker.
But from 3-1 up in the breaker, the Russian lost six straight points and handed Williams victory with her ninth double-fault on match point.
Williams is the oldest woman to make a grand slam semi-final since legendary compatriot Martina Navratilova at Wimbledon in 1994.
