A no-frills Day 3 at the 2012 French Open got an infusion of drama late in the day when Serena Williams suffered a stunning first-round upset loss to Virginie Razzano of France on Tuesday. Williams came into the match a perfect 46-0 in the first round of grand slam tournaments for her career. She fell 6-4, 6-7 (13), 3-6, to the 111th-ranked women's tennis player in the world.
Both players held on serve in the second set, which Razzano eventually won on a 7-5 tiebreak set after trailing 5-1. Williams appeared shaken afterwards, and was caught crying into a tissue on the court. Razzano won seven straight points while racing out to a 5-0 lead in the third set, before Williams regained her poise to win the next three games.
The lead ultimately proved too much to overcomer. Razzano, struggling through leg cramps, eventually won her sixth game of the set and the match while serving from deuce. Right at 9 p.m. at Roland Garros, Razzano finally got the win on match point number eight when Williams sent a return long.
Williams's problems were largely her own doing. She committed 47 unforced errors to 36 for Razzano. Williams won three break points in the first set, but won just one of her 10 chances over the final two sets. Razzano advances to face Arantxa Rus of Netherlands in the second round of the Open.
You can see a full French Open scoreboard at SI.com.
For more updates on the 2012 French Open, please stay tuned to this StoryStream. For lots more on all things tennis, keep checking SB Nation's dedicated tennis hub.
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