Venus Williams sent home in first round at Australian Open

MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA – When Australian Open newcomer Johanna Konta saw that she’d be playing Venus Williams in the first round, the 24-year-old Brit assumed her debut would be a short one.

“When the draw came out and I saw who I was playing, I was like ‘Well, I hope to stay out there for more than an hour’,” she said after her match.

She was right about the length of the match –but certainly not the result. At the end of one hour, 19 minutes on Tuesday afternoon, Konta had defeated the former world No. 1, 6-4, 6-2.

Williams entered this fortnight as the eighth seed, higher than she’s been in years. Fans expected her to continue building on the solid performances she pieced together in 2015, when she advanced to the quarterfinals here and at the U.S. Open. The crowd at Rod Laver Arena was silent as Williams struggled on Tuesday. Williams is the highest seed to fall in either draw. 

Konta recorded her best grand slam showing at last year’s U.S. Open, where she advanced to the fourth round. 

“Even if she’s playing with one leg out there, you’ve got to really take care of things on your own, because, she’s an incredible player,” Konta said after the match. “I have all the respect for her in the world. Yeah, I was just very, really enjoying my time out there.”

In other Day Two action, Americans Madison Keys and Vania King advanced to the second round. Keys defeated Zarina Diyas, 7-6, 6-1, and King prevailed with a 3-6, 7-5, 6-4 win over Mona Barthel.