Venus Williams, 45, exits Australian Open after epic battle
Venus Williams made history as the oldest woman to ever play the Australian Open on Sunday but the 45-year-old fell at the first hurdle after an epic battle with an opponent more than 20 years her junior. The American seven-time Grand Slam champion was handed a wildcard for Melbourne, five years after she last appeared […]
Venus Williams of the U.S. plays a shot against Slovakia’s Anna Karolina Schmiedlova in the first round match of the French Open tennis tournament at the Roland Garros stadium in Paris, France, Sunday, Sept. 27, 2020. (AP Photo/Michel Euler)
Venus Williams made history as the oldest woman to ever play the Australian Open on Sunday but the 45-year-old fell at the first hurdle after an epic battle with an opponent more than 20 years her junior.
The American seven-time Grand Slam champion was handed a wildcard for Melbourne, five years after she last appeared at the major.
The ageless veteran showed she still has what it takes in patches, pushing 24-year-old Serbian Olga Danilovic all the way before losing the last six games to crash out 6-7 (5/7), 6-3, 6-4 in a grueling 2hrs 17mins.