At 45 years old, Venus Williams has made more appearances at the US Open than any other player in tennis history. And she isn’t ready to say goodbye.
Before the American icon faces No. 11 seed Karolina Muchova under the bright lights of Arthur Ashe Stadium on Monday evening, let’s have a by-the-numbers look back at her illustrious US Open career.
1: Williams has one win over a reigning No. 1 player at the US Open, when she defeated Martina Hingis in the 2000 semifinal, en route to her first title at the Open.
2: Williams is a two-time champion in Flushing Meadows, winning back-to-back titles in 2000 and 2001.
3: She has three consecutive singles finals at the Open, from 2000 to 2002.
4: She's played four US Open finals, which leaves her tied for fifth in most US Open women's singles finals appearances in the Open Era.
6: Williams appeared in six consecutive US Open semifinals from 1997 to 2002, tied for third in the Open Era, with her sister Serena Williams.
8: The tennis icon has eight consecutive wins against Top 10 players from 2000 to 2002.
9: Williams holds nine career US Open semifinals, tied for fifth all-time in the Open Era.
14: Williams has a 14-12 win-loss lifetime record against Top 10 players in New York.
16: She's been seeded 16 times at the Open.
17: Williams was just 17 years old when she played her first US Open final in 1997, squaring off against 16-year-old Martina Hingis in the youngest Grand Slam final of the Open Era. Hingis won 6-0, 6-4.
20: With 20 consecutive US Open wins from 2000 to 2002, Williams is tied for the fourth-longest women’s singles streak in Open Era history.
25: Williams makes her 25th US Open main draw appearance tonight, more than any other player in tournament history.
28: It's been 28 years since Williams reached the US Open final on her main draw debut in 1997.
37: Williams was 37 years old in 2017, when she reached her ninth career semifinal in Flushing.
45: At 45 years old, Williams is the third-oldest woman to compete at Flushing Meadows in the Open Era (behind only Renee Richards and Gussie Moran).
66: Williams became the first unseeded woman to reach the US Open final in the Open Era with a ranking of No. 66.
79: She has 79 wins and 21 losses out of her 100 career US Open matches. That’s good for fourth on the Open Era list, behind only Serena, Chris Evert and Martina Navratilova.
101: Monday’s clash with Muchova will mark Williams’ 101st US Open match—she’s fourth on the all-time list of matches played.
2000: Williams’ US Open title 25 years ago solidified the first phase of the Williams sisters legacy. Venus’ triumph over Lindsay Davenport, combined with Serena’s maiden US Open triumph in 1999, made Venus and Serena the first pair of sisters to win major titles.
