In wild scenes, Serena Williams is out of the Australian Open in the third round, falling to 27th seed Qiang Wang of China in the first truly massive upset of the tournament.
Williams, the tournament’s 8th seed, fell to Qiang in a tough and enthralling three-set contest, with the final scorecard reading 6-4 6-7 (2-7) 7-5 in the Chinese player’s favour.
Williams was plagued by errors throughout the contest, registering a deeply uncharacteristic 56 unforced errors throughout the 2 hour, 41 minute contest.
Following the conclusion of the match, Williams quickly gathered her equipment and made a hasty exit from Rod Laver Arena.
The loss means Williams bid to equal the all-time Grand Slam titles mark of 24, set by Australian Margaret Court, will have to wait until at least the French Open in May.
The moment of a LIFETIME!
Qiang Wang puts on an absolute masterclass in the match of the tournament to shock Serena Williams 6-4 6-7(2) 7-5 and advance to a first career #AusOpen round of 16.#AO2020 pic.twitter.com/gnGkAMaU8X
— #AusOpen (@AustralianOpen) January 24, 2020
For 28-year-old Qiang, the victory represents her very first trip to fourth round of an Australian Open, and leaves her one victory shy of equalling her career-best mark of a Grand Slam quarter final, a mark she achieved in last year’s US Open.
She is now set to face the unseeded Ons Jabeur from Tunisia, who won her way through to the fourth round by defeating perennial Open favourite Caroline Wozniacki, who has now officially played her final professional game before embracing retirement.
It’s getting real, real hot at the bloody tennis mates, I tell you what.
Image: Getty Images / Jonathan Di Maggio
