BANGKOK, Oct 8 (AFP): World number eight Venus Williams will be looking to rebound after a stumble in Japan and restart her torrid race up the world rankings at the Bangkok Open, which starts Monday.
The 27-year-old American, seeded second in the Thai tournament, was fresh off a win in Korea when France's Virginie Razzano posted a stunning upset, beating Williams at the Japan Open women's singles final Saturday.
Bangkok will offer tough competition with Serbia's Jelena Jankovic, ranked world number three, as well as 16th ranked Shahar Peer of Israel in the draw.
Williams will start the 200,000 dollar tournament with a match against Denmark's Caroline Wozniacki.
The Wimbledon singles champion, who planned to holiday in Thailand before abruptly entering the Japan Open, started the year ranked 54 but has rejuvenated her singles career.
Her victory at Wimbledon and a semi-final appearance at the US Open helped pull Williams back in the top 10 for the first time since early 2006.
Jankovic leads Williams 2-1 in head-to-head meetings this year, but Bangkok could see a repeat of the US Open quarter-final that saw Williams rally from a set down to defeat the Serb star.
Williams readies for Bangkok after Japan upset
FE Team | Published: October 09, 2007 00:00:00 | Updated: February 01, 2018 00:00:00
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