Venus Williams’ hopes of winning another Olympic gold medal now rest in the women’s doubles after the veteran tennis star lost her opening singles match at the Rio Games on Saturday.
The American has had a resurgence this year, reaching the semis at Wimbledon and a WTA Tour final in Stanford, but lost in three sets to 62nd-ranked Kirsten Flipkens.
The Belgian won 4-6 6-3 7-6 (7-5) in a three-hour thriller to set up a second-round clash with Czech Lucie Safarova, who also came from behind to beat Italy’s Karin Knapp 4-6 6-1 6-1.
