Today’s women’s tennis reminds us week in, week out that age is just a number! Only days after 37-year-old Venus Williams played the Wimbledon final, 38-year-old Patty Schnyder wins her first WTA main-draw match in over six years, beating compatriot and fellow wildcard Amra Sadikovic at the Ladies Championship Gstaad.
Following retirement in 2011, divorce and childbirth, Schyder started her second career on the ITF circuit in July 2015, then entered her first WTA qualifying at the Volvo Car Open in Charleston in April 2016, played her first main-draw match at the 2016 Ladies Championship Gstaad, losing it to Katerina Siniakova, and now the crafty Swiss has finally sealed her first WTA main-draw comeback victory, after blowing five match points in the second-set tiebreak against Sadikovic and saving match points herself in the third set. Schnyder is currently ranked No.257, while 28-year-old Sadikovic is world No.273.
Following the 6-4 6-7(7) 7-6(6) first-round victory, Schnyder will play German qualifier Antonia Lottner, who eliminated Swiss defending champion and seventh seed Viktorija Golubic after a third-set tiebreak.
Top-ranked Swiss WTA player Timea Bacsinszky acknowledged Patty’s achievement on Twitter.
Rolling back the years always feels good! Good luck, Patty!
Bacsinszky is right! Schnyder could really play some Amazing tennis. But what an astonishingly stupid tweet by Laura Robson??
Claire, what did she say? I only saw her commenting on the Game of Thrones.
Patty is Karla’s long time favorite player!
Shortly before her initial retirement I was fortunate to watch some Schnyder Sorcery live. From memory poor Alona Bondarenko suffered a slow, painful defeat by Patty drop-shot.
Patty is a really good all around player. I remember she used to have good matches with Ana Ivanovic. Good for her!
Such a horrible personality on an off court…. A sore loser too….
She is soo not missed. Horrible personality