Seven-time majors winner Venus Williams of the United States  made an early departure from the ongoing 2016 Prudential Hong Kong Tennis Open on Thursday after being eliminated in the second round of the WTA international tier event by Alize Cornet of France in a tightly-contested match in the Causeway Bay.

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The 26-year-old Cornet, who presently ranks No. 49 in the world, stunned the former world No. 1 and current 14^th-ranked American tennis star with a 6-2, 3-6, 6-2 upset victory at the Victoria Park Tennis Stadium and sent Williams out of the competition. The Frenchwoman wrapped up the win after two hours and seven minutes.

"We have played many times and I was losing in straight sets," Cornet said after the match. "Now I can beat her in Hong Kong!" 

"It means I used a good tactic, I played a very good match, and I believed in it," the French tennis star added.

Following her latest victory, Cornet will be facing Jelena Jankovic of Serbia, who is the event's defending champion, in the quarterfinal round of the tournament, according to the WTA's website.

Williams also suffered an early exit in the recently-concluded China Open in Beijing after suffering a loss at the opening round against Peng Shuai of China earlier this month. She also had an unsuccessful campaign at the Wuhan Open after succumbing to Svetlana Kuznetsova of Russia in the third round.

"My opponent played well, there wasn't much I could do against her," Williams said. "You work hard to win matches - it's always disappointing [to lose]."

Meanwhile, top seeded Angelique Kerber of Germany beat Louisa Chirico of the United States to advance to the second round of the tourney via a 6-2, 3-6, 6-2 triumph. The current world No. 1 will face Daria Gavrilova of Australia in the next round, according to The Strait Times.

British No. 1 Johanna Konta withdrew from the $226,750 WTA event after suffering an abdominal injury. She pulled out before her  second round match against Wang Qiang of China.

Tagshong kong open, Alize Cornet, Venus Williams, wta rankings, wta, Johanna Konta, Angelique Kerber