Serena Williams hit back in her first singles match in a year but failed to beat Tan in three sets. And left Wimbledon earlier than expect.
The thrilling clash between Serena Williams and Harmony Tan of France ended in an epic tie-break Tuesday’s Wimbledon race.
In the end, 24-year-old Tan beat 40-year-old Williams to eliminate the Wimbledon tennis legend in the first round. The athletes competed against each other for a total of three hours and 10 minutes.
Williams struggled in the first set, which ended in Tan’s lead. But in the second set, the 40-year-old tennis legend appear dominant with a dominant appearance and won 6-1.
After going back and forth in the third set, the pair entered the tiebreak, and Tan managed to hold on and beat Williams.
The first-round loss came almost a year after Williams suffered a thigh injury that prevented her from progressing in the first round. After the 2021 game, Williams told the news he felt his future was in doubt. As he recovered from the injury he sustained against Alexandra Sasnovich at Wimbledon in 2021.
Williams first teased his 2022 Wimbledon appearance in an April post on his Instagram story with Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers. “We talked about my coming home, also he moved me and got me ready for Wimbledon,” Williams told supporters at Rodgers.
However, Williams noted that “one day” he recover.
Tan met Sara Scribes Tormo, ranked 32 in Spain, in the second round.