MELBOURNE, Australia — 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 Sunday, she was oh-so-close to underlining it with a victory, too.
Olga Danilovic had other ideas, rallying to win six straight games and beat the 45-year-old, seven-time major winner 6-7 (5), 6-3, 6-4.
Williams served for 14 1/2 minutes in the penultimate game, determined to stay in the match before she finally succumbed to a third break point.
At 45, ranked No. 576 and playing on a wild-card entry, Williams became the oldest player to compete in singles at the Australian Open.
Williams entered the tournament on a five-match losing streak since the first and only win in her most recent comeback to the tour at Washington last year. She won the first set and had command of the third until Danilovic went for broke at John Cain Arena.
Williams was married in December to Italian Andrea Preti. She was 17 when she first played the Australian Open in 1998, reaching the quarterfinals in just her fourth Grand Slam event.
She’s never won the Australian Open. She made the finals in 2003 and 2017 and lost both times to her sister, Serena.
