Coco Vandeweghe exits the Australian Open wondering what could have been after she was defeated in the semifinals by Venus Williams.
Playing in the last four of a major for the first time in her career, the American failed to capitalize on her early lead as she crashed out 6-7(3), 6-2, 6-3. Struggling against the experience and power of her rival, Vandeweghe produced a costly 11 double faults and 51 unforced errors during her defeat.
“You’re going to have good days and bad days. You just have to adjust as best you can.” She said.
“I did a really good job of that in the first set. In the second set, she definitely changed how she was playing. I wasn’t as quick to counteract that. But she also came up with some clutch plays when I had breakpoints to get breakpoints back, in both sets, the second and third.
“It’s a combination of myself not playing as well to get back into the match. But you have to give credit where credit’s due.”
Narrowly missing out on appearing in her first grand slam final, the 25-year-old described the outcome as a ‘missed opportunity’. Nevertheless, Vandeweghe has enjoyed a breakthrough in Melbourne with wins over top 10 players Angelique Kerber and Garbine Muguruza.
“I’m very happy with starting the year this way, putting validation to the hard work that I’ve put in during the off-season, the sacrifices, all the good stuff like that.” She explained.
“But at the same time I’m not satisfied. There’s a disappointment factor, because I’m not satisfied. I think that’s a good thing.”
Embarking on the semifinal, the American had flashbacks of her first mixed doubles final in Melbourne 12 months ago. Comparing both occasions, Vandeweghe admitted that she experienced similar feelings of disbelief about how she managed to get there.
“I think it’s similar to the first time I made a mixed doubles final. I was completely like, Wow, how the heck did I get here?” The American recounted.
Vandeweghe’s performance failed to overshadow the historic achievement of her conqueror. Williams has become the second oldest person in the Open era to reach a grand slam final after Martina Navratilova’s run to the 1994 Wimbledon final at the age of 37. A lot of focus has been placed upon Williams’ age, but compatriot Vandeweghe believes is does not impact a player’s ability in the women’s game.
“I think Venus is an unbelievable competitor. Putting age aside, age is just a number. For her to be the great champion that she is is a great accomplishment. It doesn’t matter if she’s 36 or 18 or anything like that.” She concluded.
Vandeweghe is set to break into the top 20 of the WTA rankings for the first time in her career.
