Serena Williams has lost her first singles match in nearly a year, getting beat by 115th-ranked Harmony Tan of France in a third-set tiebreaker at Wimbledon.
Williams was two points from victory but could not finish the job and bowed out with a 7-5, 1-6, 7-6 (10-7) defeat on Tuesday night.
Serena Williams of the United States in action against Harmony Tan of France in her first round match during Day Two of The Championships Wimbledon 2022 at All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club on June 28, 2022 in London, England
Robert Prange / Getty Images
They played at Centre Court with the arena's retractable roof closed after the first set.
Williams is a 23-time Grand Slam champion but the 40-year-old American had not competed in singles since she got injured in the first set of her first-round match at the All England Club on June 29, 2021.
She has won Wimbledon seven times. This was only the third first-round exit in 80 career Grand Slam appearances for Williams. One came at the French Open in 2012 and one at Wimbledon a year ago when she had to stop playing because of an injured leg.
This was Tan's Wimbledon debut.