Venus Williams and Zheng Jie played from the baseline and at the

Venus Williams and Zheng Jie played from the baseline and at the net. They played in the rain when every other match on the grounds of the Billie Jean King Tennis Center had been stopped.

But finally Zheng, a 30-year-old from China, steadied her nerves and played a tiebreaker in which she took advantage of mistakes by Williams for a 6-3, 2-6, 7-6 (5) victory in a second-round match Wednesday in the U.S. Open.

It is the third year in a row Williams has lost here in the second round and she gave every ounce of effort in her 33-year-old body that is touched by an immune system disease and pained by back issues.

She lunged for volleys and yelled with effort on big serves, but Zheng kept her face emotionless and refused to let her game break down with nerves.

“If I didn’t think I had anything left in the tank I wouldn’t be here,” Williams said about when she might retire. “I still think I do and that’s why I’m still here.”

Zheng had words for the pro-Williams crowd. “I’m sorry,” she said.

Source AP