Venus Williams and Barbora Krejcikova are the biggest names to have been eliminated from the US Open 2023 women’s draw on Tuesday, with the two Grand Slam winners knocked out in the first round.

Venus Williams (43), defeated by Greet Minnen at the 2023 US Open

At the age of 43, Venus has played 100 US Open matches (she triumphed in 2000 and 2001), but her most serious defeat came against Belgium’s Greet Minnen, who is ranked 97th in the world and who has won only 4 Grand Slam matches ( suffered 12). defeat).

Wildcard Williams (ranked 410th in the WTA rankings) lasted just an hour and a quarter in the first round at Flushing Meadows and lost 6-1, 6-1.

Venus played her first US Open final on September 7, 1997, when Grete Minnen was 25 days old.

Williams surprised at the press conference, saying that the Great Minnen can become the world leader or even win a Grand Slam. The Belgian ranked as high as 47th in the WTA, and her best result at major tournaments is reaching the third round (US Open 2021).

Minnen will face Sacia Vickery (204 WTA) in the next round after the American edged Croatia’s Donna Vekic (21st seed) 2-6, 7-5, 6-2.

Lucia Bronzetti knocked Barbora Krejcikova out of the US Open

Lucia Bronzetti (76 WTA), an athlete who has won only one Grand Slam match (at Australian Open 2022), produced the surprise of the day by eliminating Barbora Krejcikova (champion Roland Garros 2021), score 6-4, 7- 6( 3).

The Czech, a 2021 Flushing Meadows quarter-finalist, came back from 4-0 down in the second set but eventually went down in the tie-break.

In the next round, the Italian Bronzetti will meet with Eva Lis (Germany, 143 WTA), who qualified.