- Serena Williams retired hurt at 3-3 in the first set
- Venus Williams, 41, to face Tunisia’s Ons Jabeur
This wasn’t supposed to happen. Serena Williams’ quest for history ended in tears last night as she was forced to quit early in her first-round match against Aliaksandra Sasnovich of Belarus because of a leg injury.
The 39-year-old American, who wore strapping on her right thigh from the start of the match, led 3-1 but slipped twice and it was immediately obvious she was in serious pain. Williams, who was trying to equal Margaret Court’s all-time record of 24 grand slam titles, had the trainer out and tried to play on. With the score at 3-3, she called it a day. “I’m so sad for Serena,” Sasnovich said. “She’s a great champion, This happens sometimes in tennis.”
Related: Ashleigh Barty prevails as Carla Suárez Navarro bows out ‘happy’
