Venus Williams, 45, exits Australian Open after epic battle

Melbourne: 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 aft...

Melbourne: 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.

It attracted some flak amid concerns that it deprived a younger player of the opportunity, compounded by Williams losing first-round matches at both her warm-up tournaments.

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 gruelling 2hrs 17mins.

"Not easy," said Danilovic. "I told myself before the match, I really want to take this moment, and I cannot say enjoy, because it's tough to enjoy at the moment on court.