either bandages or her recent ever-present right arm sleeve.
Williams raced to an opening set 5-3 lead behind overpowering serves and piercing forehands and backhands.
Serving for the set, Williams would fail to convert two setpoints before dropping her serve.
Then the combination of a higher level of play from the 25 year old Collins and a bundle of errors from Williams saw Williams lose the next nine games to trail 5-7, 0-5.
Seeming with nothing to lose, Williams then struck several key groundstroke winners to take the following five games to level set two at five games all.
A hold of serve each from both players sent the set into a tiebreaker.
Williams led 2-0 after striking a down the line forehand winner.
Then in the key turning point of the tiebreaker while again holding the lead at 3-2, Williams delivered back to back double faults to trail 3-4.
Williams struck an additional down the line forehand winner but also netted two crosscourt backhands to face matchpoint at 4-6.
Williams saved matchpoint with a down the line swinging forehand volley winner to reach 5-6.
However an ace out wide from Collins would end the encounter.
The loss leaves Williams still in search of the WTA Rankings points she needs in order to qualify for next year’s 2020 Summer Olympics.
Williams has won a total of four Olympic tennis gold medals including a singles gold at the 2000. The American also took a bronze medal in mixed doubles at the 2016 Olympics.
