Tatjana Maria tops Venus Williams in Hobart International opener

Hobart, Jan 13 (IANS) Germany's Tatjana Maria registered a 6-4, 6-3 win over Venus Williams in the first round of the Hobart International on Tuesday.

The first-ever meeting between the two players featured the oldest combined age between competitors, with Maria entering the tilt at age 38 and Williams at 45, since the 1973 founding of the WTA Tour by nearly three years.

Venus has received a wild card entry for the Australian Open, which is set to begin on January 18 in Melbourne. This will be the first major tournament of the year. She featured at the Hobart International as part of her preparation for the season’s first Grand Slam, but exited empty-handed after losing in the opening round.

It was the second consecutive tournament in which the American bowed out at the first hurdle, following her defeat at last week’s Auckland Classic.

Williams will return to Melbourne Park after a five-year absence. Her participation will also see her rewrite the record books, as she becomes the oldest player ever to compete at the Australian Open. The previous age milestone was held by Japan’s Kimiko Date, who was 44 years old when she played in the 2015 edition of the tournament.

Williams has won seven Grand Slam singles titles, five at Wimbledon and two at the US Open. She also achieved the world number one ranking in singles for 11 weeks in 2002, becoming the first African American woman to do so in the Open Era.

Her success extends to doubles as well, where she and Serena won 14 Grand Slam titles and remained undefeated in major doubles finals. The most decorated tennis player in Olympic history, Venus has claimed four gold medals and one silver medal across five Olympic Games, including singles and doubles gold at the Sydney 2000 Games. Despite later career disruptions due to injuries, she still continues to battle for glory.