By Richard Pagliaro | Sunday, January 18, 2026Photo credit score: Elsa/Getty
The crocodile on her visor was swimming in sweat as Venus Williams stroked her method towards historical past.
The 45-year-old Williams constructed a 4-0 third-set lead, however couldn’t discover the closing kick in Melbourne Park tonight.
Olga Danilovic denied Williams’ dream, reeling off six straight video games scoring a 6-7(5), 6-3, 6-4 Australian Open victory.
Twenty-eight years after her AO debut, wild card Williams continues to interrupt limitations in her record-extending twenty second Australian Open look.
The seven-time main champion made historical past because the oldest participant to play an AO main-draw match, however definitely this defeat will sting after Williams put herself in place for her first singles win since July.
“Yeah, it was such an excellent recreation, such an excellent second,” Williams mentioned. “The power from the gang wasamazing. That lifted me up a lot.
“She performed an excellent recreation. Additionally some luck there, as properly. That’s simply the game. That’s the way it works typically. However it was an incredible second.”
Throughout the online, Danilovic, who reached the AO spherical of 16 final 12 months, mentioned she tried to savor the second and focus solely on the ball.
“Not simple. Once we have been strolling there I informed myself earlier than the match I actually need to take this second and I can’t say get pleasure from, as a result of it’s robust to get pleasure from, in the intervening time on courtroom,” Danilovic informed Rennae Stubbs afterward. “However you realize, these items don’t occur daily. And enjoying in opposition to Venus Williams is one thing I can’t take with no consideration.
“However there was plenty of nerves. At 4-0 I simply mentioned to myself ‘Okay, simply play.’ Simply play point-by-point. Yeah, I’m very pleased that I managed to get this one, however it was such a pleasure enjoying in opposition to such a legend.”
Credit score the left-handed Danilovic, who’s 21 years youthful than Williams, for persevering with to assault her pictures and urgent the four-time Olympic gold-medal champion within the essential longest recreation of the match.
Deadlocked at 4-all within the decider, the pair performed a punishing 15-minute recreation that actually determined the match.
Former world No. 1 Williams held six recreation factors—and saved a break level with an ace—as excruciating stress escalating.
All that good work dissipated when Williams missed a forehand and a backhand ceding the break and 5-4 result in Danilovic as many within the crowd emitted a collective groan.
Williams mentioned she was extra inspired by her play constructing that third-set lead reasonably than being discouraged all of it slipped away.
“At 4-Love I felt good. Additionally it’s the largest lead I’ve had since I’ve been again. In plenty of methods I’m having to relearn the way to do issues once more, if that makes any sense,” Williams mentioned. “I’m actually pleased with my effort at the moment as a result of I’m enjoying higher with every match, attending to the locations that I wantto get to. Proper now I’m simply going to must hold going ahead and dealing on myself and dealing to manage my errors.
“These are issues, too, that include enjoying further matches, like getting your toes within the actual proper place, you realize, choosing the proper pictures, all of these issues that I’m nonetheless studying. It’s type of bizarre, however it’s tremendous thrilling to have performed that properly and to get myself in that place and are available very shut.”
Down 0-4, Danilovic determined to return to fundamentals, deal with her footwork and that helped spark her comeback cost.
“I attempted simply to look a this yellow ball and simply transfer my hand, transfer my legs,” Danilovic mentioned. “It was such an incredible environment. Clearly, extra individuals have been for her. However I noticed plenty of Serbian flags, plenty of Serbian individuals, I heard Serbian. And that’s the reason I really like Australia…They actually helped me quite a bit. It was electrical.”
The left-handed Danilovic, who partnered compatriot Novak Djokovic within the 2025 US Open Blended Doubles, was down 15-30 within the ensuing recreation. Danilovic rose up once more with a forehand winner and a backhand strike for match level.
Williams tried altering path down the road however her forehand clipped the tape and fell huge as Danilovic pounded her palm over her coronary heart, sealing a two-hour, 17-minute victory.
Danilovic will face both third-seeded Coco Gauff or Kamilla Rakhimova in spherical two.
Followers packed inside John Cain Enviornment saluted Williams with a sustained standing ovation as she walked off the courtroom with a wave and a smile.
The skeptics who questioned why the match awarded the two-time AO finalist a wild card noticed the excessive stage Williams can nonetheless summon tonight. Finally, the world No. 576, who examined Karolina Muchova in a three-set defeat on the US Open final summer time, suffered her sixth straight singles loss since she defeated Peyton Stearns in her Washington, DC comeback match.
“She was serving unimaginable, actually,” Danilovic mentioned. “After all, everyone knows. In these essential moments, she was serving so good so I couldn’t do something. If she was going to play like that, I give the hand and that’s it. I stored myself calm and it labored.”
Nonetheless, Williams confirmed flashes of explosiveness. She served 60 %, pounded 9 aces—4 greater than Danilovic—and received 74 % of her first-serve factors coming achingly near her first main match win since she stopped Mihaela Buzarnescu in her 2021 Wimbledon opener.
Although Williams walked off the singles courtroom tonight, she’s nonetheless alive in doubles. Williams and companion Ekaterina Alexandrova, who misplaced her first-round singles match to Turkish qualifier Zeynep Sonmez, have acquired a doubles wild card.
The pair are scheduled to play Emiliana Arango and Elsa Jacquemot of their opener. Frenchwoman Jacquemot outlasted Twentieth-seeded Marta Kostyuk, 6-7(4), 7-6(4), 7-6(10) in a three-hour, 31-minute epic singles opener on ANZ Enviornment earlier on Sunday.
“I imply, proper now I’m very a lot within the match,” Williams mentioned. “My subsequent focus is the doubles.In order that’s the place my head is.”
