Paris, May 30 (IANS) Serena Williams was bundled out of the French Open tennis after she suffered the worst Grand Slam defeat of her career.
The favourite for the women’s singles title slumped to a dramatic and thrilling 6-4, 6-7 (5), 3-6 loss to France’s world 111 Virginie Razzano in the first round here Tuesday.
It was the 13-time Grand Slam winner’s first ever exit at the opening round stage of her 47-event Grand Slam career and her earliest loss at a major since she was knocked out of the Australian Open second round by sister Venus in 1998.
The fifth-seeded Williams was two points from victory nine times in the second set, including leading 5-1 in the tiebreaker. But Razzano won six straight points to force a third set, and then took control of the match.
“I made so many errors today, which isn’t the game I was playing in the past,” Williams said. “That’s life.”
Williams entered the day with a 46-0 record in first-round matches at Grand Slam tournaments. She had been looking for her 14th major title, and second at Roland Garros.
