WTA roundup: Venus Williams falls in Aussie Open tuneup

Field Level Media
13 Jan 2026, 21:25 GMT+10

(Photo credit: Mike Frey-Imagn Images)

Sixth-seeded Tatjana Maria recorded a 6-4, 6-3 win over Venus Williams in the first round at the Hobart International in Australia on Tuesday.

Maria, 38, took advantage of five double faults by Williams, 45, to win the match in 87 minutes. The match featured the highest combined age (83) of a single match in the history of the WTA.

Williams has lost successive first-round matches heading into the Australian Open.

Peyton Stearns posted a 6-4, 1-6, 7-6 (4) victory over two-time major champion Barbora Krejcikova of the Czech Republic. Third-seeded Iva Jovic coasted to a 6-0, 6-1 win over Janice Tjen of Indonesia, while Slovakia's Rebecca Sramkova and China's Xinya Wang also won their respective first-round matches.

Adelaide International

Third-seeded Mirra Andreeva cruised to a 6-3, 6-1 victory over Marie Bouzkova of the Czech Republic in a second-round match in Australia.

Eighth-seeded Victoria Mboko of Canada had a tougher time of it versus Anna Kalinskaya, posting a 6-2, 3-6, 7-6 (6) win over the Russian.

Lilli Tagger, 17, outlasted Xinyu Gao of China, 3-6, 7-5, 6-3 to advance to the second qualifying round.

Coached by 2010 French Open champion Francesca Schiavone. Tagger recorded 40 winners to win the match in 2 hours and 54 minutes and set up a second-round clash versus Elena Pridankina. The Russian posted a 6-3, 6-2 win over 13th-seeded Diane Parry of France.

--Field Level Media

Watch latest videos

News RELEASES

Publish news of your business, community or sports group, personnel appointments, major event and more by submitting a news release to China National News.

More Information

Business

Section

SEBI says no-objection certificate for NSE listing due this month

CHENNAI, India: India's capital markets watchdog is preparing to unlock the long-delayed listing of the country's largest stock exchange,...

Credit card rate cap pledge sparks skepticism in Congress

WASHINGTON, D.C.: U.S. President Donald Trump renewed a campaign pledge to limit credit card interest rates, calling for a one-year...

U.S. stocks reined in after Trump tries to corral Fed chair

NEW YORK, New York - U.S. stock markets were more restrained on Monday following Sunday night's revelation that the Federal Reserve...

CES deals signal a fresh push to make autonomous driving viable

LAS VEGAS, Nevada: After years of expensive false starts, the self-driving car industry is regrouping around artificial intelligence...

GM joins Ford in pulling back from EVs after tax credit exit

DETROIT, Michigan: General Motors is rolling back part of its electric-vehicle push, booking a US$6 billion writedown as weaker demand...

Ice shows to wine tastings: retailers rethink survival strategy

NEW YORK CITY, New York: From New York to Paris, department stores are remaking themselves as destinations for experiences rather than...

Asia Pacific

Section