Serena Williams has crashed out of the 2012 French Open.
After two days of splendid results for American women at the French Open, the highest-seeded U.S. woman suffered a shock defeat at Roland Garros. Williams had never previously lost in the first round at the French Open or any Grand Slam.
No. 5 seed Serena Williams was sent packing by Virginie Razzano, who won the second and third sets of the match to advance. After winning the first set, 6-4, Williams seemingly became unglued after failing to capture a tiebreak in the second set.
Williams appeared to be caught crying on camera during the changeover between the second and third sets. Williams had jumped out to a 5-1 lead in the second set tiebreak before Razzano tied and eventually won the set.
After falling behind 5-0 in the third, Williams battled back to 5-3 but could not dig out of such a deep hole in the decisive set. According to Tennis.com, Williams committed 47 unforced errors en route to the shock defeat.
"I made so many errors today, which isn't the game I was playing in the past," Williams told reporters after the match. "That's life."
A French player, Razzano was ranked 111th in the world entering the match.
"I had to dig deep against a great champion and you could see until the end that she gave away nothing," Razzano told reporters after her victory. "I had to go and get the victory. I had to be mentally strong, and I gave my everything."
For her part, Williams claimed that she remained confident until the end, as she and Razzano battled through an epic 12-deuce final game in the third set.
"I was just thinking, if I can break here we'll be back on serve," Williams told reporters. "You know, those are the kind of things that are going through your head."
Although Williams withdrew from the Italian Open due to a back injury before traveling to Paris for the second Grand Slam of 2012, she didn't use her health as an excuse when speaking with reporters after her loss.
"I didn't feel anything abnormal," said Williams on Tuesday. "I was 100 percent healthy."
What is next for Williams? Can she bounce back in time for Wimbledon?
