Serena Williams loses in fourth round of French Open originally appeared on NBC Sports Washington
Serena Williams lost in the fourth round of the French Open Monday, bringing an end to her quest for a 24th Grand Slam title until Wimbledon begins on June 28.
Elena Rybakina, the No. 21 seed in the draw, defeated No. 7 Williams by a score of 6-3, 7-5. Rybakina had the upper hand throughout the match and broke Williams’ serve five times. The 21-year-old from Kazakhstan advances to her first quarterfinal at a Grand Slam, where she will play No. 31 Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova.
Williams has not won a Grand Slam since the 2017 Australian Open, when she was two months pregnant. She is chasing Margaret Court’s record of 24 Grand Slam victories, although some of Court’s wins came before the so-called Open Era, beginning in 1968, when professionals were first allowed to compete at Grand Slams.
Roland Garros has been the least successful Grand Slam for Williams: Among her 23 Grand Slams, she has only won three French Opens compared to seven each at Wimbledon and the Australian Open.