Montrealer Françoise Abanda plays her idol, leaves Venus Williams impressed

As well as 17-year-old Montrealer Françoise Abanda played in qualifying for the main draw at the U.S. Open two weeks ago, she could certainly have hoped to make some noise this week at the Coupe Banque Nationale in Quebec City.

Unfortunately, she drew No. 1 seed and star attraction Venus Williams in the first round. It was an unlucky break, but also a great opportunity to play her idol.

Williams, exactly twice Abanda's age at 34 and sporting a new look, defeated Abanda 7-5, 6-3, but had nothing but praise for her afterwards.

Williams is by far the biggest deal the Quebec City event has even seen, even if she's not at the very peak of her career. And she knows how to be gracious to suit the circumstances. But in this case, it was easy to be honest about a young, up-and-coming player who competed well against her.

For Abanda, it was a learning experience, and a match she'll never forget.

(Video is in French - here are some translated quotes):

"She's very powerful, so I had to be ready for each ball. She puts a lot of pressure on you and she has a lot of experience."

"I learned that when I have a lead, I have to stay concentrated. Maybe I relaxed a bit in the first set, and she broke me. But for me it was a good experience, and I'll learn from it. I don't think she started all that well but she played better and better as the match went on, and it became more and more difficult for me. ... She played well, and I also played well. But she's better than me for the moment."

"It's a good step to get through. I will now be able to play a lot of girls without being nervous. She's a great player. I'll continue to play and compete and try to win matches."

"She's one of the biggest servers I've played in my life. I'm not used to playing girls who serve that hard, it was a bit new for me. I think I served well, too. Good thing! My first-serve percentage was high (80%), which was my goal in the match."

"Intiimitated? I respect Venus Williams a lot, but on the court but regardless who's on the other side, my goal is to win. I tried today, but it wasn't enough. It was a pretty tight match; it's not like it was an easy match for Venus."

"I would never have thought I'd have the chance to play Venus WIlliams. Five or six years ago I was watching her on TV. It was a great experience for me, to play her before she retires. Her kind words will motivate me to work harder. It's flattering."