By Matt Lambert
Published: 01:12 BST, 2 June 2019 | Updated: 01:12 BST, 2 June 2019
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Serena Williams' French Open challenge disintegrated on Court Philippe Chatrier as she lost 6-2, 7-5 to 20-year-old American Sofia Kenin.
The 23-time Grand Slam champion hit 34 unforced errors and her movement was thoroughly exposed by an opponent 17 years her junior and ranked 35th in the world.
Williams withdrew from her last two tournaments before Roland Garros citing a knee injury and, on this evidence, she has not fully recovered. She looked uncomfortable moving to any ball that was more than a few feet away from her, especially in the first half of the match.
Serena Williams' French Open challenge disintegrated on Court Philippe Chatrier
Williams rallied from a break down in the second set but Kenin held her nerve in a febrile, night-match atmosphere in Paris.
Kenin, the American daughter of Russian immigrants to the USA, had a smart gameplay and executed it superbly. A slight 5ft 7in, she never tried to outhit Williams, instead focussing on moving her around the court and liberal use of the drop shot.
'I think she played really well,' said Williams. 'In that first set in particular, she hit pretty much inches from the line,
