British player Katie Boulter expressed her honor to compete alongside “tennis legend” Venus Williams as they advanced to the second round of the women’s doubles at the Madrid Open.
Boulter, who was eliminated from the singles tournament on Friday, and 45-year-old Williams, who had never partnered before, secured a victory over China’s Jiang Xinyu and Xu Yifan with scores of 4-6, 6-3, 10-7.
Their next match in round two will be against Taiwan’s Hsieh Su-wei and American Sofia Kenin.
The seven-time Grand Slam champion Williams is currently on an 11-match losing streak in singles, and her previous doubles success was recorded at the US Open in September.
“It was a pleasure to play, and it felt like fate,” stated the American Williams.
“She brings incredible energy – I’m not even sure if Serena [Williams] has this level of energy.”
Boulter had only approached Williams about forming a partnership earlier this week and confessed to experiencing anxiety before stepping onto the court.
“Everyone who attended came here to see a true icon,” Boulter commented.
“I felt nervous this morning, but you [Venus] helped me relax during the warm-up. We simply enjoyed ourselves. Our approach was to play with joyful expressions on our faces.
