Tennis: Venus Williams crashes out in Charleston
Laura Siegemund beat Venus Williams 6-4, 6-7 (3/7), 7-5 in the WTA Charleston clay court event.
MIAMI (AFP) - Venus Williams was sent crashing out of the WTA Charleston clay court event on Wednesday, losing a grueling three-set second round battle to Germany s Laura Siegemund.
The veteran third seed bowed out in her opening match of the tournament, losing 6-4, 6-7 (3/7), 7-5 to the 29-year-old world number 37.
It was Siegemund s second three-setter of the tournament, and the German admitted she was as surprised as anyone following the win over the former world number one which saw her save two match points.
"I have no idea!" Siegemund told an interviewer on court when asked to explain her victory.
"It was a really good match; it was going up and down. I just tried to believe in my game, and if I was down, I told myself I was going to get more chances."
Siegemund squandered a match point in the second set and was then broken as she served for the match in the same set as Williams forced a third set.
Siegemund then recovered twice from breaks in the decider and saved two match points of her own as Williams served for the match at 5-4.
Siegemund broke however to level it at 5-5 and then held and broke Williams to clinch victory.
Williams admitted she had been unable to shake off Siegemund.
"I tried my best to think this could be the best match she ll ever play in her life, honestly," Williams said. "I basically won but still lost.
"I really played the best game I could. I pretty much hit winners, but she hit winners back on me, and I just didn t have any answers for that.
"I don t know much more that I could do. I mean, there were some errors I made in the beginning, but when push came to shove, I feel like I did the right things, but somehow inexplicably came up empty."
Williams, 36, had arrived in Charleston fresh from strong performances at Indian Wells, where she reached the quarter-finals, and the Miami Open, where she advanced to the last four.
