Wimbledon: Williams Sisters Lose In Doubles; Grand Slam Bid Halted

Two-time defending champions Venus and Serena Williams have suffered their first defeat in grand slam doubles play in over a year, losing to the unseeded Russian pair of Elena Vesnina and Vera Zvonareva 3-6, 6-4, 6-3.

The match provided a likely preview of the Ladies’ Singles final, with both Serena and Zvonareva heavily favored to win their semifinals tomorrow against Petra Kvitova and Tsvetana Pironkova, respectively.

The Williamses gained the No. 1 ranking in doubles at this year’s French Open for the first time in their career, seizing the ranking from splitting pair Liezel Huber and Cara Black.

The sisters had won the last four had been halfway to the calendar grand slam, having previously won the 2010 Australian and French Opens. They also held all four grand slam titles going into this tournament, having also won Wimbledon and the US Open in 2009.