Pakistan, Jan. 14 -- Venus Williams lost to Tatjana Maria in the first round at the Hobart International on Tuesday, less than a week before her appearance at the Australian Open.

The 45-year-old Williams received a wild-card entry for the first Grand Slam event of the year. She also had a wild card to play in Hobart, where she lost to sixth-seeded Maria in a match lasting almost 1 1/2 hours. Williams also lost her first-round match at Auckland, New Zealand last week.

The seven-time Grand Slam singles champion, who is 576th in the world rankings, broke 38-year-old Maria's serve in the opening set. But Williams dropped serve twice, handing the set to Maria, who is 42nd on the WTA rankings.

Tournament officials said the match featured th...