Venus Williams made history as the oldest woman to ever play the Australian Open on Sunday but the 45-year-old fell at the first hurdle after an epic battle with an opponent more than 20 years her junior.
The American seven-time Grand Slam champion was handed a wildcard for Melbourne, five years after she last appeared at the major.
The ageless veteran showed she still has what it takes in patches, pushing 24-year-old Serbian Olga Danilovic all the way before losing the last six games to crash out 6-7 (5/7), 6-3, 6-4 in a grueling 2hrs 17mins.
