Sony Ericsson Open 2012 Day 5 Results: Venus Williams Unseeds Petra Kvitova

Can you say comeback?

Come on, say it.

Come ... back.

That’s what so many Americans wanted. An American female to come back to the women’s tennis tour.

And that’s what Venus Williams gave to them on Friday night when she upset the Sony Ericsson No. 3-seed Petra Kvitova in three sets, 4-6, 6-4, 6-0.

This is the 31-year-old American’s first tournament since she withdrew from the U.S. Open in 2011 with a disease that causes fatigue and joint pain.

Williams is a former world No. 1 and a seven-time Grand Slam winner. Her absence from the sport slid her to No. 134. On Friday, she defeated the current No. 3 best player on the women’s circuit. The match lasted two hours and 18 minutes.

Williams has won it all in Key Biscayne three times. If she continues to improve her ranking, as she hopes, she will try to qualify for the summer Olympics in London.

For now, Americans can enjoy an American comeback kid, even if she is no longer a kid.