Venus Williams was supposed to play Paula Badosa in the opening round of the US Open, but she won't as the Spaniard withdrew from the event.
The US Open crowd was very excited when they saw the draw Venus Williams got. A first-round matchup against Paula Badosa was a mouth-watering prospect, but it won't be happening as the Spanish player withdrew from the event.
The injuries simply are too much to overcome for Badosa, who actually won't be playing for the rest of this year on the WTA Tour, in order to give herself time to properly recover and be ready for next year. Venus Williams likely won't be too disappointed with that, as Badosa would certainly be a more challenging opponent than the qualifier she got.
She will be playing Greet Minnen in the opening round, which is a pretty solid matchup for her, one she could possibly win with the way she has played lately. Despite both being seasoned pros, Williams had never played Minnen before.
The match is a very important one for Williams, who doesn't want to bow out of the US Open in the opening round. There are some reasons for optimism, as she's been pretty solid since returning earlier this year, and playing in front of native fans should certainly give her a boost.
While unconfirmed, there have been many rumblings about this possibly being the final US Open Williams will ever play. Time will tell whether that will happen, but whether it is or isn't doesn't change much. She still wants to win, and she might just be able to do so.
Minen won three matches in the qualifiers, but none of the opponents she faced were spectacular players. Williams is likely to be the biggest challenge out of all of them, especially with the crowd behind her.
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