American becomes oldest singles player at tournament
Williams led 0-4 in deciding set before stumbling
Venus Williams set a record just by starting her first-round match at the Australian Open, a testament to her endurance and longevity at the highest level of tennis.
Up two service breaks at 4-0 in the third set on Sunday, she was within sight of victory too. But Olga Danilovic had other ideas, rallying to win six straight games and beat the American 6-7, 6-3, 6-4. Williams served for just shy of 15 minutes in the penultimate game, determined to stay in the match before she finally succumbed to a third break point.
“At 4-0 I felt good. It’s the biggest lead I’ve had since I’ve been back. In a lot of ways I’m having to relearn how to do things again,” said Williams, who will continue her campaign in doubles. “I’m really proud of my effort today because I’m playing better with each match, getting to the places that I want to get to. Right now I’m just going to have to keep going forward and working on myself and working to control my errors.
