Venus Williams sustained a hip flexor injury in her second round match against Sandra Zahlavova

Venus Williams suffered a major blow to her Australian Open chances yesterday, as she suffered a hip flexor injury in her second round clash with Sandra Zahlavova. An unusually slow start for Venus saw Zahlavova on top in the first set. When the outsider finally claimed the set, Wiliams made it clear that she was hurt, and left the court for treatment.

Things looked bleak for the American, though she had no intention of giving up. A fierce second set display set the stage for a 6-7(8), 6-0, 6-4 victory. Speaking after the match, Venus stated, “It was really tough, but I’m a long way from home; and it’s such a long way home; I don’t want to go back yet”.

“I don’t know what happened. I just started going for shots, and I’m not sure she was as composed as before. You’ve got to be able to play under all kinds of circumstances – good, bad, strange, weird, bizarre, all of the above. So I was glad to come through”.

With the rest of the competition in mind, Venus continued, “I’m just going to try to recover for Friday and try to get ready to play and bring my best tennis no matter what”. Venus now faces an uphill struggle, and has an extra obstacle to deal with in her bid for a first Australian Open title.