Venus Williams downs Miami Open’s top seed

Associated Press

KEY BISCAYNE, FLA.

Venus Williams whacked a winner on her fifth match point, then spun and threw a celebratory fist toward her father, who watched from the front row while munching popcorn.

The taste of victory never gets old.

Venus and her dad have been coming together to Key Biscayne for 20 years, and she moved a step closer to her first title in the event since 2001 by beating top-ranked Angelique Kerber 7-5, 6-3 Wednesday night in the Miami Open quarterfinals.

It was Williams’ 15th career win against a No. 1 player, but her first since 2014.

The tournament was once known as the Williams Open because of the way Venus and Serena dominated. Now Venus, seeded 11th and 36 years old, is in the semifinals for the first time in seven years.

Her younger sister, an eight-time Key Biscayne champion, is out with a knee injury. But their father and coach, Richard, is attending a tournament for the first time in nearly a year after battling health issues.

He watched the quarterfinal in the photo pit along the baseline.

“My dad is one of the loves of my life and the reason I’m here in this game,” Venus told the fans, who responded with cheers.

Later she added, “He has always loved popcorn. We always ate popcorn together when I was a child. That’s a great childhood memory.”

Venus’ opponent Thursday night will be No. 10 Johanna Konta, who became the first British woman to reach a semifinal at Key Biscayne by beating No. 3 Simona Halep 3-6, 7-6 (7), 6-2.

“She’s living the dream,” Williams said. “I’ve got a dream too.”

No. 2 Karolina Pliskova will play No. 12 Caroline Wozniacki in the other semifinal.

Williams has enjoyed a resurgence this year, reaching the Australian Open final before losing to her sister. She took charge against Kerber when the German double-faulted on the final two points of the opening set, and broke serve twice more early in the second set to pull away.

Kerber saved four match points before Williams closed out the victory with a backhand winner.

It was a matchup of offense against defense, with Williams more aggressive and charging the net when she could.

“Sometimes I didn’t quite get it over that line, but I kept going for it,” Williams said. “I was aggressive, and that’s when I play my best.”

Kerber stayed rooted to the baseline and was on the defensive even when she served, facing 13 break points and losing serve five times.

She’ll remain No. 1 next week despite her loss.