It's a First: Serena Loses in Round One

French Open loss is earliest ever in a Grand Slam tournament
By Newser Editors and Wire Services
Posted May 29, 2012 2:24 PM CDT
It's a First: Serena Loses in Round One
Serena Williams reacts as she plays France's Virginie Razzano.   (AP Photo/Christophe Ena)

Serena Williams lost today in the first round of a major tournament for the first time, falling to Virginie Razzano of France 4-6, 7-6 (5), 6-3 at the French Open. The fifth-seeded Williams was two points from victory several times in the second set, including leading 5-1 in the tiebreaker. But the 111th-ranked Razzano won six straight points to force a third set, and then took control.

"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 pulled out of her last match in the semifinals of the Italian Open with a bad back but said today that she was "100% healthy." Razzano won on her eighth match point. "I had to dig deep against a great champion and you could see until the end that she gave away nothing," she said. See more French Open developments at Bleacher Report here. (More Serena Williams stories.)

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