Venus Williams’ bid for her first Grand Slam singles victory since 2021 fell agonizingly short on Sunday, as Serbia’s Olga Danilovic rallied from a 4-0 deficit in the third set to defeat Williams in the opening round of the 2026 Australian Open.
Williams, 45, returned to tennis from a 16-month hiatus last season and, as the tournament opened Jan. 18 in Melbourne, became the oldest woman ever to compete in the main singles draw. She appeared to be on the way to notching her first victory in a major since Wimbledon in 2021, taking the first set in a tiebreaker and winning the first four games of the decisive third set.
But Danilovic won the next six games to advance to the second round.
‘At 4-0 I felt good,’ Williams said. ‘It’s the biggest lead I’ve had since I’ve been back. In a lot of ways I’m having to re-learn how to do things again.
‘It’s weird but it’s super exciting to have played that well and to get myself in that position and come very close.’
Danilovic, 24, wasn’t even born when Williams made her Australian Open debut in 1998.
‘These things don’t happen every day and playing against Venus Williams is something that I cannot take for granted, but there were a lot of nerves,’ Danilovic said. ‘I’m happy I managed to get this one but it was such a pleasure playing against a legend.’
Zeynep Sonmez comes to aid of ball girl
Turkish qualifier Zeynep Sonmez scored a first-round upset of 11th-seeded Ekaterina Alexandrova in Sunday’s first-round match, but may have scored even more points with the fans by her compassionate gesture during the second set.
Sonmez, ranked No. 112 in the world, was preparing to serve when a ball girl positioned near the chair umpire suddenly fainted in the searing heat. As she stumbed to her feet, Sonmez stopped play and ran toward her.
With the crowd applauding, Sonmez put the girl’s arm over her shoulder and guided her to a seat so medical staff could provide treatment.
Sonmez went on to win 7-5, 4-6, 6-4, and become the first woman from Turkey to reach the Aussie Open’s second round.