Serena Williams upended by Siniakova in Parma
The 23-times Grand Slam champion looked well below her best as she suffered a second straight early defeat on clay
Serena Williams will go into Roland-Garros without just one win on clay this year after she was beaten 7-6 (4), 6-2 by world No 68 Katerina Siniakova of the Czech Republic in the second round of the Emilio-Romagna Open in Parma on Tuesday.
The 23-times Grand Slam champion had a set point in the opener but Siniakova grabbed the tiebreak 7-4 and from 2-2 in the second, she cruised to a famous victory.
“It feels amazing, it was a fantastic match,” Siniakova said. “I played so good, I’m so happy I could finish it. It was really a pleasure to share the court with her. I will enjoy the win.”
The first set was a ding-dong battle but Williams had a chance to take it at 5-4 only for the Czech to hit back and snatch the set on the tiebreak.
From 2-2 in the second set, Siniakova won 15 straight points and clinched victory on her third match point.