SERENA WILLIAMS WAS dumped out of the Australian Open this morning… but not before she caused some damage.
Sloane Stephens ended her compatriot’s quest for a third successive grand slam in Melbourne.
The third seed’s chances of victory in the quarter-finals were hampered by a back injury in the second set which limited her serving and movement around the court. But despite battling on, she was unable to topple 19-year-old Stephens, who completed a nerveless 3-6 7-5 6-4 win in front of a stunned Rod Laver Arena crowd.
Asked about her injury after the match, Williams said: “It’s fine. Just nothing. Everyone at this stage in the locker room has something wrong with them, so it’s fine – there’s no excuse there.”
Stephens is the first American teenager to reach the semi-finals of a grand slam since Williams achieved the feat at the 2001 US Open.
YouTube: Jeff morrison