Staff Reporter.
Serena Williams is out of the French Open after a shock 6-3 7-5 defeat by 21-year-old Elena Rybakina.
In an absorbing match, the 23-time Grand Slam winner was outmuscled by the Kazakh, who will now seek to take advantage of an open women’s draw.
The American tried to lift her level but instead became the latest top-10 seed to depart the women’s singles.
Her next chance to equal Margaret Court’s record of 24 Grand Slam singles titles comes at Wimbledon from 28 June.
Williams, 39, has not won a Grand Slam title since the Australian Open in 2017 and with seeds tumbling throughout this French Open, the draw seemed to be opening up for her.
Williams never got to grips with Rybakina’s ferocious strokes – she did not win a point on the Kazakh’s serve until the third game and that was from a double fault.
She briefly raised her level at the start of set two to pin back her opponent but unforced errors crept back and Rybakina seized control.
It is rare to see Williams given the run-around by power-hitting, a trait in the women’s game that her 15 years of supremacy established.
But, with the array of talent emerging, doubts grow about how long Williams can compete at the highest level and if she will ever attain the Grand Slam record.
Meanwhile second seed Daniil Medvedev looked in ominous form as he dismissed Cristian Garin 6-2 6-1 7-5 in the fourth round at Roland Garros.
The Russian dominated with an impressive arsenal of shots from all over the court.
He will play a quarter-final against world number five Stefanos Tsitsipas.
The highly fancied Greek beat Pablo Carreno Busta 6-3 6-2 7-5 in his fourth-round match
World number two Medvedev showed off the full range of his skills with brutal hitting against the gallant Garin on Court Suzanne Lenglen.
Before this year’s tournament, Medvedev had not won a match at the French Open in four attempts – he has now won four in a row and will relish this opportunity to go deep into the second week at Roland Garros.
Garin had beaten Medvedev on clay last month at the Madrid Open but was second best to the imperious Russian, who dictated play throughout.
After cruising through the first set, Medvedev cut loose in the second, breaking to love in the second game and unveiling an impressive mix of pinpoint groundstrokes.
In the third set, Medvedev grabbed a crucial break in the 11th game with consecutive thunderbolt winners before serving out to clinch victory.