Vintage victory for Venus Williams over the relentless Coco Vandeweghe

After what we just witnessed, it’s hard to believe that Venus Williams hasn’t been to a Grand Slam singles final since 2009, at Wimbledon, or that she hasn’t reached the title match at a hard-court major since 2003, when she did so in Melbourne. But 14 years after that run Down Under, the No. 13 seed—and, if you want more unlikely numbers, at 36 years of age—will compete for Australia’s top tennis prize. The veteran put forth a vintage performance in front of a delighted and enthralled crowd in Rod Laver Arena, and she needed every bit of it to defeat compatriot Coco Vandeweghe, 11 years her junior, by a 6-7 (3), 6-2, 6-3 margin.

Venus needed every timely serve, every uppercut groundstroke and every bit of accumulated sage determination to overcome this challenge, for we also saw some of Vandeweghe’s best tennis. As she’d shown in Oz during impressive upsets of Angelique Kerber and Garbine Muguruza, Vandeweghe belted forehands and backhands to all areas of the blue court. She hit 37 winners in all, and despite her 51 unforced errors, this was a match of the highest quality, one of the best contests of the fortnight.

“It means so much,” a joyous Venus said afterwards, “mostly because she played so well. There was never a moment of relaxation, ever.”

Vandeweghe never stopped, and neither did Venus. The younger American remained aggressive at all times, from her dominant first-set tiebreaker to the very end, when she wiped away three Williams match points. It forced Venus to raise her game to the kind of tennis would be good enough to win the title on Saturday evening—even against her sister, Serena, and even if the 35-year-old is playing at a similarly high level.

If I had to pick one shot that defined this match, it was a second serve Venus struck while leading 4-3 in the deciding set. Venus had turned the tide with a commanding second set, and although she took an early break-of-serve lead in the third set, Vandeweghe kept hammering away in her service games, necessitating an equally forceful response. Both women made life difficult for the server, and with the type of artillery these two brought to bear, only strong serving would do.

So, Venus fired a 99 M.P.H. spinning second delivery into the body, which tied up Vandeweghe and kept Williams in front. It was the last serve Venus would need to hit; she wrapped up the match with a comprehensive display of top-tier tennis.

“At the end of the day, my defense was the most important part of the match,” said Venus. “She never stopped swinging.”

Venus’ lone moment of relaxation—once “Game, set, match” had finally been called—was one she savored. An autoimmune disease figured to rob Williams of her later years in the sport, but she’d long been set on dealing with the condition on her terms. That meant continuing to play tennis at a level which few can match.

More than a decade in the making, with plenty of doubters along the way, this throwback run will go down as one of Venus' finest achievements, win or lose in the final.

“You gotta get better, the competition’s better,” the seven-time Grand Slam champion said. “2003 was a long time ago.”

After what we just witnessed, it’s hard not to envision Vandeweghe reaching a Grand Slam final of her own someday. She showed that American tennis is in good hands whenever Venus decides to leave the sport—but, clearly, it’s still in good hands now.