Injury-hampered Venus Williams made a first-round exit at the Dubai Open on Monday, going out 7-5, 7-6 to Italian Silvia Farina Elia.
After more than two hours of tennis that only the most devoted of fans could enjoy, the fifth seeded American capitulated more to a stomach injury and blisters on her racket hand than to her opponent.
Williams blamed the stomach injury she sustained the week before last at her previous tournament -- the Antwerp Diamond Games where she lost in the final to Amelie Mauresmo.
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"The first time I served again was Sunday and there wasn't a lot I could do out there. And when your serve isn't good it throws the rest of your game off too."
Only three games went with serve in the opening set at the end of which Williams had her right hand bandaged. The second set then followed the same pattern until, at the end of five more breaks, Farina Elia led 5-2.
But the Italian failed to win two match points and was broken in the next game and she dropped her game once more as a desperate Williams levelled at 5-5.
Doing little more than keeping the ball in play, and not doing even that very well, Farina Elia surrendered a further four match points in the tiebreak before a rare spirited rally ended with Williams hitting wide.
Williams said even if she had won the second set, she might not have played the third.
"I really don't know if I would have played the third, and if I would have won the match I really don't think I would have continued the tournament," she said.
"Now I'll have to rest it. My next tournament is in Miami in about 20 days. If I'm really fit and ready to go then I'll play. If I'm not, then I won't."
In another match, Indian teenager Sania Mirza came from a set down to beat Croatia's Jelena Kostanic 6-7, 6-4, 6-1 and set up a meeting with fourth seed and U.S. Open champion Svetlana Kuznetsova.
"It was a really good match, I think," said Mirza, 18. "Maybe a few points in the first set could have made the difference and maybe I could have won in straight sets.
"In the third set I told myself that I had to try and get the first two games and I knew that she was going to crack. And that is exactly what happened."
