HOBART, Australia (AP) — Venus Williams lost 6-4, 6-3 to Tatjana Maria in the first round at the Hobart International on Tuesday, less than a week before her appearance at the Australian Open.
The 45-year-old Williams received a wild-card entry for the first Grand Slam event of the year. She also had a wild card to play in Hobart, where she lost to sixth-seeded Maria in a match lasting almost 1 1/2 hours.
Williams also lost her first-round match at Auckland, New Zealand last week.
The seven-time Grand Slam singles champion, who is 576th in the world rankings, broke 38-year-old Maria’s serve in the opening set. But Williams dropped serve twice, handing the set to Maria, who is 42nd on the WTA rankings.
A single service break in the second set was enough for Maria to clinch victory.
Williams has made the Australian Open singles final twice — in 2003 and 2017 — losing to her sister Serena both times.
The Australian Open begins Sunday. Williams has not played at Melbourne Park for five years and will break the age record held by Kimiko Date, the Japanese player who was 44 when she contested the 2015 Australian Open.
In another first-round result in Hobart, two-time major winner Barbora Krejčíková lost to Peyton Stearns. Krejčíková, ranked 55th and unseeded in Hobart, lost to Stearns 6-4, 1-6, 7-6 (4).
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