HONG KONG: Venus Williams lost to second-ranked Vera Zvonareva 6-4, 6-2 on Thursday at the Hong Kong Classic exhibition tournament in her first match since the US Open. Williams was sidelined with a left knee injury for the last part of the 2010 season and is using the tournament as her only warm-up for the Australian Open, which starts on Jan. 17. The two players traded breaks in the second and third games of the first set before the Russian broke to love in the fourth. Zvonareva broke again in the first game of the second set and extended her lead to 5-2 with another break. She closed out the match when Williams' forehand return landed wide. The American, a seven-time Grand Slam champion, said she wasn't surprised by her rustiness and that she expects her form to improve with more play. In Hong Kong, she will play another singles match and is playing mixed doubles with retired men's great John McEnroe. “I haven't played that many matches in the last six months, so I think it showed a little bit today, but it's not too unexpected,” Williams said. “I just need to get out there and play points. I don't feel any pressure right now to play my best tennis. I know my best tennis will come with each and every match.” With both Williams and younger sister Serena reaching veteran age—Venus is now 30 and her sibling is 29—injuries are most frequent and persistent. Serena also saw her 2010 season cut short, although by a noncompetitive injury. She hurt her right foot at a restaurant and that put her out of action after she won at Wimbledon in July for her 13th Grand Slam title. She is still recovering will miss the Australian Open. Still, retirement doesn't appear to be on the agenda for Venus. “No,” Venus said when asked about calling it quits. “None of those thoughts at all, really.” For Zvonareva, who has a 1-7 record against the older Williams sister on the WTA tour, it was a rare win as the Russian tries to build on a successful 2010 season, when she reached two consecutive major finals at Wimbledon and the US Open. “I think overall I'm a much more experienced player right now. I can play different matches and different situations much better than before,” the 26-year-old Russian said. “Definitely that experience that I was able to get last year—it will help me in the future matches. I'm just looking forward to the new season.” Zvonareva, a three-time Grand Slam doubles champion, added she may scale back her doubles schedule this year so she can concentrate on singles. Conditions were chilly at Victoria Park Center Court on Thursday, with temperatures dropping to 13 degrees Celsius (55.4 Fahrenheit). Both players wore long-sleeved tops and donned pants beneath their skirts. Earlier Thursday, American teenager Melanie Oudin was up a set and a break but lost to Maria Kirilenko 3-6, 7-6 (2), 6-0.
