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In-form Belinda Bencic eliminates Venus Williams on Day 1 of the Australian Open

Before the scheduled Monday’s launch of her EleVen collection for the Australian Open even happened, last year’s runner-up Venus Williams was eliminated by Belinda Bencic 6-3 7-5 on Day 1 of the tournament. The American didn’t take the loss lightly and barely communicated at the post-match press conference, even though she did admit that Bencic deserved all the credit for playing “above and beyond”.

MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA - JANUARY 15:  Venus Williams of the United States reacts in her first round match against Belinda Bencic of Switzerland on day one of the 2018 Australian Open at Melbourne Park on January 15, 2018 in Melbourne, Australia.  (Photo by Cameron Spencer/Getty Images)

Wearing a tank and skort from the long-awaited Aztec line, which was not made available last Monday due to technical difficulties, the fifth-seeded Williams didn’t play a bad match on Rod Laver Arena, but the world No.