Tomljanovic denies Venus Williams in Austin; Galfi ends Andreescu return
Two former Grand Slam champions competing as wild cards in the ATX Open both fell in their opening matches on Tuesday. Ajla Tomljanovic came from 3-1 down in the first set to defeat Venus Williams 6-4, 6-1, while Dalma Galfi came through a 6-3, 5-7, 6-4 rollercoaster against Bianca Andreescu in 2 hours and 11 minutes.
Austin: Scores | Draws | Order of play
Four years ago, Tomljanovic added her name to the tennis history books by becoming the last player to defeat Serena Williams before the 23-time major champion's retirement in 2022, winning their US Open third round 7-5, 6-7(4), 6-1. The 32-year-old Australian, a semifinalist in Austin last year, had not previously faced elder sister Venus, and admitted to nerves ahead of the match against a player she described as an "inspiration" in the sport.
"But somehow Venus and Serena tend to bring the best out in me mentally," Tomljanovic said in her on-court interview. "Becaude I always think, 'What would they do in that moment?' I try to make it work for me, instead of against me."
Though her Arthur Ashe tilt against Serena is now far in the past for Tomljanovic, it's still a memory she holds on to -- not just because of the occasion, but how she reacted to it.
"I constantly, in the last four years, try to channel how I was in that match against Serena," she said. "Because I've never felt that since."
Against Venus, Tomljanovic withstood a strong start from the 45-year-old to turn the contest in her favor. Venus broke immediately, nailing a pair of vintage winners and taking advantage of consecutive Tomljanovic double faults, and consolidated for 2-0 with her best shot of the match -- a brilliant backhand pass down the line.
Venus was unable to convert two points to hold for 4-2, though, and the match began to turn from there. The seven-time major champion also held two points to level at 5-5, but was denied by a combination of creativity and luck from Tomljanovic -- a wildly spun sliced winner that caught the top of the tape.
Though the second set was closer than the scoreline suggests, Tomljanovic was able to take control by winning two key multi-deuce games, saving two break points to hold for 2-1 and then converting her fourth break point to seal a decisive 5-1 lead.
The result meant that there would be no inter-generational second-round meeting between Venus and No. 2 seed Iva Jovic, who advanced 6-3, 6-4 over Anna Blinkova. When Jovic was born in December 2007, Venus was already a six-time major champion, and was ranked No. 8 after compiling a 50-11 record that season. Instead, Jovic will face Tomljanovic for the first time.
Tomljanovic's win made her one of only two players to be undefeated against both Williams sisters. The other is 2019 US Open champion Andreescu, who was playing her first WTA main-draw match since Tokyo last October. In January, she opted against playing the Australian swing, instead compiling a 13-1 record at ITF level including two titles.
Against Galfi, the Canadian bounced back from a slow start to turn the match into a nailbiter. Demonstrating fine net play, she overturned a 4-2 deficit to take the second set, and seemed on the way to repeating the comeback from 5-2 down in the third after saving two match points and holding two points to level at 5-5. However, Galfi raised her level just in time, finding a series of winners to close out victory.