Venus Williams loses to Ostapenko at Birmingham Classic after injury concern

BIRMINGHAM, England (AP) — Venus Williams couldn’t cause an even bigger surprise at the Birmingham Classic. The 43-year-old American, now ranked No. 697, lost 6-3, 5-7, 6-3 to second-seeded Jelena Ostapenko on Thursday in the second round of the grass-court tournament that is serving as a warmup for Wimbledon. On Monday Williams defeated 48th-ranked Camile Giorgi for a first victory over a player in the top 50 in nearly four years. She has just returned after six months out with a hamstring injury sustained in Auckland in the first week of the year.