Venus Williams was two points from victory and two points from reaching the fourth round of the U.S. Open for the first time in four years.
Williams was serving and the Friday afternoon crowd at Arthur Ashe Stadium was producing night-session noise, but any momentum soon faded as the oldest player left in the women’s draw began to show her age.
Her successful season soon ended after a slew of unforced errors, as she lost in a third-set tiebreak to Sara Errani, 0-6, 6-0, 6-7 (5).
“I’m just really proud of the effort that I’ve made and at least if I lose a match, it’s a rough fight for my opponent,” Williams said following a second-round doubles win with her sister, Serena.
“They don’t get it easy. That’s something to be proud of. Today, my errors were out of control. That really, really hurt me. I wish I could’ve controlled that to continue a great summer.”
Williams, who hasn’t made the fourth round of any Grand Slam since Wimbledon in 2011, alternated from a wilting 34-year-old to the vintage two-time champion, going from dominated to dominant as she overcame an abysmal first set to run away with the second.
In the third set, Williams bounced back from two early breaks and grabbed a 5-3 lead, on her serve.
Entering the match 3-0 lifetime against Errani and only two points from victory, Williams, who suffers from an autoimmune disease, began to show fatigue, handing the Italian several key points with a double-fault and consecutive backhands into the net.
Williams finished with 52 unforced errors, more than doubling Errani’s output, with her strokes powerful, but inconsistent and her legs swaying from energetic to empty.
Buoyed by the crowd, the 19th-seeded Williams looked revived during the tiebreaker, winning three straight points after falling behind 5-2.
The tension throughout the match hit its crescendo on the next point, with dozens of gasp-inducing shots bouncing back and forth until the dizzying rally ended in Errani’s favor.
The end for Williams came one point later, the latest early exit for the all-time great, as Errani made a motion for the crowd to quiet.
The ride was over — for now, at least.
“The future’s looking bright,” Williams said. “No matter what age you are, I think in your mind you still feel quite young. I think that’s everyone. In your head you’re still very young. I’m still young. For tennis perhaps I’m older, but in life I’m a young person. And that’s how I live.”