HOBART, Australia — Venus Williams misplaced 6-4, 6-3 to Tatiana Maria within the first spherical of the Hobart Worldwide on Tuesday, lower than every week away from competing on the Australian Open.
Williams, 45, certified for the 12 months’s first Grand Slam event as a wild card. She additionally had the correct to play in Hobart as a wildcard, however misplaced to sixth-seeded Maria in a match that lasted about an hour and a half.
Williams additionally misplaced within the first spherical final week in Auckland, New Zealand.
The seven-time Grand Slam singles champion and world No. 576 broke 38-year-old Maria’s serve within the first set. However Williams dropped serve twice, handing the set to Maria, No. 42 within the WTA rankings.
One break of serve was sufficient for Maria to win the second set.
Williams reached the Australian Open singles ultimate twice, in 2003 and 2017, however misplaced to her sister Serena each instances.
The Australian Open begins on Sunday. Williams, who has not performed at Melbourne Park for 5 years, will break the age file held by Japanese participant Kimiko Date, who was 44 when she performed on the 2015 Australian Open.
In one other first-round match in Hobart, two-time main champion Barbora Krejcikova misplaced to Peyton Stearns. In Hobart, Krajcikova, ranked fifty fifth and unseeded, misplaced to Stearns 6-4, 1-6, 7-6 (4).
