(June 28, 2014) Serena Williams, the world No. 1 lost to Frenchwoman Alize Cornet 1-6, 6-3, 6-4 in a third round match on Court No. 1 at Wimbledon. Through three majors in 2014, Williams has failed to reach the quarterfinals of any of them.
It;s the second straight defeat for Williams against Cornet, she also lost to her in the semifinals in Dubai earlier in the year.
This was Serena Williams’ earliest Wimbledon exit since 2005.
The match had been suspended due to rain at 1-1, deuce in the first set and resumed some 4 1/2 hours later.
“A few years ago I couldn’t even play on grass and now I’ve beaten Serena Williams. I cannot believe it, ” said the 25th seed Cornet on court after the match.
Cornet hit 29 winners in the match and was 14 for 16 in net points won in the two-hour and four minute match.
“If I’m not playing a great, great match, these girls, when they play me, they play as if they’re on the ATP Tour, and then they play other girls completely different,” Williams said. “It’s never easy being in my shoes.”
“So I just have to always, every time I step on the court, be a hundred times better. If I’m not, then I’m in trouble.”
“I’m just calming down now because I was very excited for an hour,” Cornet said as she came into do her news conference with the press. “I couldn’t believe it. I still cannot believe it, actually.
“If somebody would have told me a couple years ago that I would be in second week here in Wimbledon, beating Serena, I wouldn’t have believed it.
“It feels great. It shows that really improved these last years. Of course, what a victory. It’s the best way to get the second week.”
“Even this morning I watched some images from this match in Dubai because this match was one of the best match of my season,” Cornet said. “I was playing very, very good tactically and I really tried to take all these things out of this match to help me today.
“You know, I just knew that I could do it because I did it once in Dubai, which is a big tournament in Dubai. I thought, Okay, maybe it’s on grass, so it’s less easy. Definitely it helped me today, especially when I had to serve at 5‑4 in the third, because I had to do it already in Dubai at 5‑4 in the second set. I tried to stay calm as I did in Dubai and just to remain focused, focused on the simple things.
“Well, it’s amazing because beating Serena two times in a row, it doesn’t happen very often, so I’m glad.”
Cornet will play Eugenie Bouchard in the round of 16. Bouchard defeated Andrea Petkovic 6-3, 6-4.