India's [ Images ] Sania Mirza [ Images ] bowed out of the Australian Open [ Images ] after a brave fight against multiple Grand Slam champion Venus Williams [ Images ] in the third round in Melbourne [ Images ] on Saturday.

- Federer scripts royal escape | Images

Sania, who served for the first set at 5-4, went down 6-7 (0), 4-6 to the American eighth seed in an exciting evening session match.

The Venus-Sania contest was delayed at the Rod Laver Arena as defending champion Roger Federer [ Images ] was stretched to five sets by Serbia's Janko Tipsarevic [ Images ]. Federer came through 6-7, 7-6, 5-7, 6-1, 10-8 in more than four hours.

The Indian 31th seed started in a destructive mood, drilling her forehand flat and deep.

She got the break in the fifth game of the first set, but could not serve out the set at 5-4.

Sania saved two set points in the 12th game to force it into the tie-break, but failed to gain a single point there.

With the momentum with her, Venus played better in the second set-- serving big and moving better on the court. Though Sania ran her close, the American prevailed 6-4 to keep her Australian hope alive.

The elder of the Williams sisters, winner of four Wimbledon [ Images ] and two US Open [ Images ] titles, is yet to win at Melbourne Park.

She will meet the winner of the match between China's La Ni and Marta Domachowska of Poland in the round of 16.