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Serena Williams slips to surprise defeat against world No 116 Shelby Rogers

Serena Williams returns a shot to Shelby Rogers  - AP
Serena Williams returns a shot to Shelby Rogers - AP

Serena Williams suffered a surprise setback on Saturday night against world No 116 Shelby Rogers at the Top Seed Open, going down to a 1-6, 6-4, 7-6 defeat that will raise questions about her form.

This modest tournament in Lexington, Kentucky, has attracted some of the game’s biggest stars, all looking for match practice ahead of the US Open at the end of this month.

So Rogers – whose biggest previous scalp in an 11-year career had been Eugenie Bouchard – had hardly been tipped to make the semi-finals at the start of the week.

The relative eminence of the two players was reflected in a one-sided opening set. Rogers admitted afterwards that she had been “a bit overwhelmed by the pace and the heavy spin” as she won just a single game.

But the underdog settled into the match and began shaping the ball confidently, especially off her forehand side. Williams, by contrast, lost all rhythm and timing on her own forehand. She would normally have expected to take a toll of Rogers’s attackable second serve, but for some reason her return game lacked bite.

Williams has repeatedly insisted this week that she is practising well. But even though she overcame sister Venus on Thursday night, there are still enough chinks in her armour to question whether this will be the year when she finally equals Margaret Court’s 24 major titles.

“I can play a lot better,” said Williams afterwards. “These courts are jumping incredibly high and she took advantage of that. So overall these were completely different circumstances.”

Earlier in the day, the men’s tour had announced a revised schedule for the rest of 2020, listing almost a full European indoor swing from late October onwards, and placing London’s ATP Finals on its original dates of Nov 15-22. A statement suggested that there are still hopes of fans being admitted to the O2 Arena – within social-distancing guidelines – if trials at other pilot events, including Sunday’s final of the snooker World Championship, go well.