In a huge fourth round upset in the 2012 Australian Open, Serena Williams lost in straight sets to Ekaterina Makarova, a largely anonymous 23-year old from Russia who is not ranked among the top 50 female tennis players in the world.
Serena Williams Stunned In Straight Sets By Ekaterina Makarova
Makarova won 6-2, 6-3, defeating Williams in a fast-paced match that lasted only 1:23.
Williams seemed stunned by the Russian’s fight, dropping the first set fairly easily before battling back in the second.
In the decisive game, Williams beat back three match points before eventually falling to Makarova on a back-hand return that went out wide left. It was the theme of the match for Williams, who had 37 unforced errors and 7 double faults to 17 and 0 for her opponent.
Williams’ loss opens up the draw for Maria Sharapova, who would have faced Williams in the quarterfinals but now has a relatively easy draw up to a possible semifinal matchup with 2 seed Petra Kvitova.
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