'S-HERTOGENBOSCH (Netherlands): In her first match since January, Venus Williams suffered a defeat in the first round of the 's-Hertogenbosch tournament in the Netherlands.
Williams, who will turn 43 on Saturday, lost to Celine Naef in a close three-set match with a score of 3-6, 7-6 (7/3), 6-2.
Naef, a 17-year-old Swiss player ranked 202nd in the world, emerged victorious after 1 hour and 19 minutes of play.
Williams, ranked 696th, received a wild card entry for the tournament and was competing in the Netherlands for the first time in her career. This was also her first singles match on grass since Wimbledon in 2021.
Her previous match took place in Auckland in January, where she lost to Zhu Lin of China and sustained a hamstring injury that led to her withdrawal from the Australian Open.
In Tuesday's match, Williams initially showed a strong performance, breaking Naef's serve in the eighth game to win the first set.
She continued her momentum by breaking Naef's serve in the fifth game of the second set. However, Naef fought back, eventually winning the set in a tiebreak.
In the third set, Naef dominated by breaking Williams' serve in three consecutive games. Although Williams managed to save a match point and hold her serve in the seventh game, Naef sealed the victory by serving out the match to love.
In the next round, Naef will face eighth seed Catherine McNally, who comfortably defeated her fellow American Katie Volynets with a score of 6-2, 6-1.
The 's-Hertogenbosch tournament features top seed Veronika Kudermetova, as well as notable players such as Belinda Bencic, Bianca Andreescu, and Victoria Azarenka.
