Venus Williams was defeated 3-6, 6-3, 7-6 (2) at the Pan Pacific Open final on Friday. The veteran tennis player started out well, but her Czech opponent Petra Kvitova rallied to beat her.
Williams, after coming back from illness and injury, is still fighting for her first title since last October.
“I was probably a little tired,” said Williams, who also played in a three-hour match on Thursday. “But I don’t think it affected the match. She played two matches yesterday, so no doubt she was a little tired as well.”
Kvitova won after Williams failed to close the match in the third set at Ariake Colosseum.
The seventh-seeded Kvitova played tough in the tiebreak, by jumping out to 6-0 lead. Williams scored two points but Kvitova won in the third match point.
“I am really happy with how I played today,” Kvitova said. “It was a very close match, and every game was up and down.”
Kvitova will face fifth-seeded Angelique Kerber of Germany next, as she beat fourth-seeded Caroline Wozniacki 6-4, 7-6 (5) in the other semifinal.
