France’s Virginie Razzano, ranked 33rd in the world, caused a huge upset by beating top seed Venus Williams in the AIG Japan Open Tennis Championships final on Saturday.
World number eight Williams, who won last week’s Tier IV tournament in Korea, had three match points in the second set tiebreak before losing 4-6 7-6 6-4 to fifth-seeded Frenchwoman.
“I never felt the match was lost, even with three match points against me,” said the 24-year-old, whose run in Tokyo will see her climb into the top 30 for the first time.
Williams was troubled by a leg injury, but paid tribute to her opponent, saying: “Congratulations to her. It’s definitely a great way for her to end the year.”
This is Razzano’s second career title. Last week she won Guangzhou International Women’s Open in Guangzhou, China. (via Reuters)
