Seven-time champion Serena Williams has suffered a second straight Wimbledon first-round exit, stunned by French debutant Harmony Tan in a late-night Centre Court epic.
A year after the American retired injured from what many feared would be her last Wimbledon match, her return was eagerly anticipated, but 115th-ranked Tan ripped up the script for a stomach-churning 7-5 1-6 7-6(7) win.
With the Centre Court roof closed and the time approaching the 11pm Wimbledon curfew, Tan had one matchpoint snatched away, when Williams served at 5-6 in a rollercoaster deciding set.
A weary Williams then appeared close to victory, as she went 4-0 ahead in the tiebreak played to 10.
But Tan, who had never played a Wimbledon main draw match before, was not finished and clawed her way into a 9-7 lead, before sealing victory, as Williams netted a forehand.
Williams, who had not played a singles match since retiring hurt against Aliaksandra Sasnovich here last year, went through every emotion in 3h 11m of drama and put her fans through the wringer.
In the end, the rustiness of so much time away from the court proved too much, as another quest for a 24th Grand Slam title came to a heartbreaking end.
Tan, who had only ever won two Grand Slam main draw matches, compared to the 98 won at Wimbledon alone by Williams, could hardly believe it, after clinching victory on her second matchpoint, when Williams fired a forehand into the net.
"I'm so emotional now," she said. "Serena is a superstar and when I was young, I was watching her so many times on the TV.
"For my first Wimbledon, it's wow... just wow.
"When I saw the draw I was really scared, because it's Serena Williams, she's a legend. I thought, if I could win one or two games, it was really good for me."
Reuters
