Venus Williams crashes out in first round of singles tennis in Rio

Four-time gold medallist, Venus Williams yesterday crashed out of the Olympic tennis tournament in Rio, losing to Belgium's Kirsten Flipkens 4-6, 6-3, 7-6 (7/5) in a three-hour centre court marathon.

"She had been ill for a few days with a bad virus. She had an upset stomach and she was coughing up a lot, you could see she was really struggling,' said US captain Mary Jo Fernandez, who faced the media in Williams' place.

This is the first time in her career that Venus will lose in the opening round. She's said to be suffering with a virus and was heard coughing during the match. She will now play in the doubles with Serena.