Pironkova out of this world as Venus humbled

VENUS WILLIAMS flew 15,000km to shop, plug her sponsors and play one tennis match. And as matches go, it was a stinker.

The woman who beat Williams 2-6 6-0 9-7, a teenager dressed like she’d stepped out of a city office for a lunchtime jog, played inspired tennis. She hit her shots and held her nerve. Her name is Tszvetana Pironkova, she is ranked 94, and perhaps she is a player of the future.

For Williams, however, the immediate future is bleak. She might hang around to support her sister Serena in the tournament. She might fly back to Florida to catch up on her final year of fashion school studies. But she won’t be seen on Rod Laver Arena over the next two weeks and the tournament is the poorer for it.