06/30/26 05:46:00
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06/30 15:59 CDT Serena Williams loses in opening round at Wimbledon in 1st
singles match in nearly 4 years
Serena Williams loses in opening round at Wimbledon in 1st singles match in
nearly 4 years
By ANDREW DAMPF
AP Sports Writer
LONDON (AP) --- Serena Williams showed plenty of what made her a 23-time Grand
Slam tennis champion in her first professional singles match in nearly four
years on Tuesday.
The 44-year-old Williams wasn't quite able to dominate like she used to,
though, and was beaten 6-3, 6-7 (6), 6-3 by an opponent less than half her age,
20-year-old Maya Joint of Australia, in the opening round of Wimbledon.
Williams displayed the same powerful serve and heavy groundstrokes that led her
to seven Wimbledon singles titles but the 87th-ranked Joint was able to handle
the American standout's pace and win more of the big points by hitting beyond
Williams' reach on Centre Court.
While Williams played two doubles matches just before Wimbledon to announce her
comeback to the sport she once dominated, she hadn't played a singles match
since the 2022 U.S. Open.
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AP tennis: https://apnews.com/hub/tennis
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