PARIS: What Venus Williams would have given for a dash of deja-vu in Paris on Sunday. The same Grand Slam tournament, the same opening round, the same opponent as last year, but at Roland Garros this year the American slumped out 6-4 7-5 to China’s Wang Qiang. The loss marked the first time 2002 runner-up Williams has lost her opening match here since 2001, and the only time in her career she has lost consecutive Grand Slam opening round matches. “There really are no perfect days in tennis, so…” the 37-year-old mused enigmatically. “At this point I have just got to look forward. I just want to be my best, that is all… nobody plans on this.” If Sunday’s result marked a low point for Venus, it represented the best win of Wang’s career, and one for which she was good value. Her comments post-match attempted to play it down, though, Wang saying only that the win had been “one of” the best of her career. Wang might have been forgiven for rolling her eyes when the draw was made on Thursday, having been beaten by Williams both here and at Wimbledon in their only previous meetings. But the 26-year-old set about her task with enthusiasm on a sun-bathed Court Suzanne Lenglen, never allowing her rangy opponent to settle. Published in Daily Times, May 28th 2018.