Venus Williams Drops Opener at Austin

Venus Williams’ debut at the ATX Open in Austin, Texas ended at the first hurdle on Tuesday as Ajla Tomljanovic moved past the seven-time major singles champion, 6-4, 6-1 in one hour and 35 minutes to set a second round clash with Iva Jovic.

Williams, who has not won on tour since last July, dropped her seventh consecutive decision, but not before a fast start. She scored the first break of the match and had points for 4-2 before the Aussie levelled up. Williams also was serving at 4-5, 40-15 before Tomljanovic rallied to take the competitive opening set in 51 minutes.

The second set was not close on the scoreboard even as 45-year-old Williams remained competitive. She had break points in two of Tomljanovic’s service games, but still dropped the final five games of the contest.

“Somehow Venus and Serena tend to bring the best out in me mentally,” Tomljanovic said in her on-court interview. “Because I always think, ‘What would they do in that moment?’ I try to make it work for me, instead of against me.”

Williams, paired with Peyton Stearns, will face top-seeded Taylor Townsend and Storm Hunter in doubles on Wednesday in Austin.

At the other side of the age spectrum, a rising American 27 years Williams’ junior continued to play exceptional tennis. 18-year-old Iva Jovic got past Anna Blinkova 6-3, 6-4 in one hour and 24 minutes. The Torrance, California native is up to 18 in the rankings, and 15-4 overall on the season.