Venus Williams defeats Osaka to reach Wimbledon 4th round

Five-time Wimbledon champion Venus Williams defeated Japanese teenager Naomi Osaka in straight sets to reach the fourth round.

Osaka, 19, pushed Williams hard but the 37-year-old’s experience eventually told as she won 7-6 (7-3) 6-4 in one hour and 25 minutes.

It is the 15th time the American has reached the last 16 at Wimbledon.

The 10th seed will next face another teenager, 19-year-old Ana Konjuh, for a place in the quarter-finals.

Croat Konjuh is the youngest player into the fourth round of the women’s singles draw after she beat Slovakian eighth seed Dominika Cibulkova 7-6 (7-3) 3-6 6-4.

BBC Sports reports that neither Osaka nor Konjuh were born when Williams made her Wimbledon debut in 1997.

Simona Halep remains in contention to become world number one for the first time after beating Peng Shuai of China in straight sets.

Halep, second in the rankings behind Angelique Kerber, won 6-4 7-6 (9-7).

The Romanian needs to make the semi-finals at least to have a chance of moving to the top of the rankings.

Halep’s opponent in the last 16 will be Victoria Azarenka,who beat Britain’s Heather Watson to progress.

Former world number one Azarenka of Belarus is making her Grand Slam return at Wimbledon after giving birth in December.

Germany’s Kerber, meanwhile, plays American Shelby Rogers for a place in the last 16 on Saturday.

If Halep does reach the last four then Kerber needs to repeat her 2016 run to the final to retain hope of staying top of the rankings.