THROWBACK VIDEO: Venus Williams wins maiden US Open title at 2000 US Open

The 39-year old Williams turned professional in 1994, and eventually won her maiden singles Grand Slam at the 2000 Wimbledon Championships. She followed this with a Gold medal showing at the 2000 Sydney Olympics before returning home for the US Open.

Seeded third, Williams defeated top seed Martina Hingis in the semifinal before facing second-seeded compatriot Lindsay Davenport in the final. Davenport had ousted defending champion and sister Serena in the quarterfinals, so Venus had the added motivation of revenge on her side.

With the crowd eager to see two Americans compete for the trophy, both women gave it their all. However, it was Williams who emerged victorious, outplaying Davenport 6-4 7-5 to claim her first singles Major title on home soil. Thus, Williams became just the second woman after Steffi Graf to win Wimbledon, Olympic Gold and the US Open in the same season.

[embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6QqWh7trywo[/embed]