Tatjana Maria made recent history with a 6-4, 6-3 win over Venus Williams in the first round of the Hobart International.
The match, the first between the two veterans, featured a combined age of more than 84 years—making it the oldest match since the 1973 founding of the WTA tour. Perhaps fittingly, it came a week after the 38-year-old Maria was beaten in the first round of the Brisbane International by 17-year-old Aussie Emerson Jones.
“Everybody loves Venus—I love her too!” the German, who makes her family home near Williams in Florida, said after breaking serve five times in just under an hour-and-a-half on court.
She even joked that her two daughters, 12-year-old Charlotte and 4-year-old Cecilia, count Williams among their favorite players.
