There has been one certainty in women’s tennis for the last decade, when Serena Williams is playing in a Grand Slam tournament she will make it to the second round. That certainty however is no longer the case after the tennis star lost a stunner on Tuesday to 111th-ranked Virginie Razzano of France.
The final game of the first round French Open match was filled with 30 points that included high-pressure shots, protests from the crowd and the chair umpire docking Razzano a point. Williams ultimately wasted five break points while saving seven match points before Razzano converted on the eighth attempt during a match that lasted 3 hours and 3 minutes.
Williams now holds a 46-for-46 record in opening rounds at tennis’ top tournaments while winning 13 championships over the span of her career.
Following her first round French Open lost Williams is now 46-1 in first round appearances at Grand Slam tournaments. The match ended with a final score of 4-6, 7-6 (5), 6-3.
While the fifth-seeded Serena William managed to take a 5-1 lead in the second-set tiebreaker she dropped the next 13 points in a row.
After the match Williams teared up as she told reporters:
“I’ve been through so much in my life, and … I’m not happy, by no means. I just always think things can be worse.”
Williams was returning to competitive tennis after a 10 months hiatus following a series of health problems that included two foot operations and blood clots.
The victory for Virginie Razzano was especially heart-felt because she was sporting a black ribbon pinned to her shirt in remembrance of her fiancé and coach Stephane Vidal who died of a brain tumor in May 2011 at the age of 32. It was Vidal who encouraged Virginie to enter the tournament.
