Venus Williams is, at 37 years old, the oldest woman to reach the fourth round at Wimbledon since Martina Navratilova was the same age when she was the tournament’s runner-up in 1994.
Williams beat 19-year-old Naomi Osaka of Japan 7-6 (3), 6-4 in the third round, and will face another 19-year-old on Monday with a quarterfinal berth at stake, Ana Konjuh of Croatia.
The 10th-seeded Williams is a five-time champion at the All England Club.
Williams is one of four Americans remaining in the ladies’ singles draw, more than any other nation. The others – Coco Vandeweghe, Alison Riske and Shelby Rogers – each play their third-round matches on Saturday.
This is Williams’ first tournament since a two-car crash in Florida last month that police say she caused. A 78-year-old man in the other car, Jerome Barsons, died about two weeks later. On Friday, it was revealed the vehicles involved in the incident could be examined by experts next week.
The Palm Beach Post reports that attorneys representing Williams and the family Barsons agreed at a Friday court hearing on how they will examine the cars, which are being held at a tow yard. The attorneys agreed to exchange data downloaded from the onboard computer systems in their clients’ cars. The data could provide details such as the vehicles’ speed and braking in the seconds before the 9 June crash.
Barsons died 23 June and his estate is suing Williams. Palm Beach Gardens police say Williams drove her Toyota SUV into the path of the Hyundai sedan driven by Barsons’ wife. Williams has not been cited or charged.
