Venus Williams, 45, loses in first round of final Australian Open warm-up

HOBART: Venus Williams was dumped out of the Hobart International in straight sets Tuesday and two-time Grand Slam winner Barbora Krejcikova also lost in setbacks to their Australian Open preparations.

It was the second consecutive tournament in which the 45-year-old Williams has crashed at the first hurdle after last week’s Auckland Classic.

She survived 87 minutes against German world number 42 Tatjana Maria in Hobart before slumping 6-4, 6-3, having gamely saved six of nine break points.

The American seven-time Grand Slam champion will now head to Melbourne for the Australian Open, where she has been handed a wildcard five years after she last played there.

Williams, who has played only sporadically in recent years, will be the oldest woman ever at the opening Grand Slam of the year, which begins on Sunday.

Mother-of-two Maria, herself 38, lined up a last-16 clash with Hungary’s Anna Bondar.

The in-form Maria last year became the oldest WTA Tour singles winner since Serena Williams in 2020 when she won at the Queen’s Club in London.

World number 55 Krejcikova needed treatment on her knee before playing on with heavy strapping and tumbling out 6-4, 1-6, 7-6 (7/4) to American Peyton Stearns.

The Czech former world number two ended her season early last year because of a knee injury, but successfully got through three matches in the United Cup last week, picking up two wins.

Krejcikova, who won the French Open in 2021 and Wimbledon in 2024, missed last year’s Australian Open with a back injury.

Stearns will meet Olga Danilovic next after the unseeded Serb beat American defending champion McCartney Kessler in three sets.