Serena Williams dreamed of an eighth crown in Melbourne, but it won't be this time. The American, currently 9 th in the world, was eliminated in the 3 rd round of the Australian Open this Friday by the Chinese Qiang Wang (29th) 6-4, 6-7 (2/7), 7-5.
Serena Williams, 38, committed too many direct faults (56 versus 20 for Wang) against a very solid opponent. However, she swept it 6-1, 6-0 in 44 minutes when they last met in the quarterfinals of the last US Open.
“My team always believed I could do it. After my defeat at the US Open, I worked hard on and off the court and it was really good work, "said the Chinese, who will face the Tunisian Ons Jabeur (78th) for a place in the quarters final in Melbourne.
A first since 2006
"In the second set I lost my lucidity, but I remained calm, my mind told me to stay focused," she added, after concluding on her third match point, on opposing service.
The younger sister of the Williams sisters had not been eliminated so early in Melbourne since 2006. She had not played the tournament in 2011 and 2018.
His worst Grand Slam result went back to his elimination in the third round at Roland-Garros 2019.