In doubles, Big and Little Sis fell to the Italian duo of Sara Errani and Roberta Vinci 6-3, 6-7 (5-7) 5-7 to end their chance to take home their fifth Australian Open doubles crown..
Then a few hours later Serena faced rising newcomer Sloane Stephens with a trip to the semis to take on Victoria Azarenka in the balance.
In the first set looked like Little Sis was going to send the 19 year old fellow American to the sidelines, taking only 29 minutes to win the first set 6-3. But after opening up a 2-0 lead in the second set Stephens began to fight back and live up to her growing rep as 'the next Serena'. She chased down shots and frequently made successful foray to the net for drop shop winners that kept her in the set and gave her chances to break Serena's serve.
Stephens caught another break with Little Sis leading 4-3 in the second set when Serena suffered a back spasm while trying to avoid running into the net. The injury basically took away Serena's formidable serve for several games and allowed Stephens to pounce on it, climb back into the match and take the second set.
Serena started recovering from the back spasm in the third set but by that point young Stephens wasn't intimidated by her idol and stayed close until she broke Serena again for the deciding set win.
6-3, 5-7, 4-6. It was the first loss for Serena in a Grand Slam since the 2012 French Open, ended her chance at another Serena Slam, and was the first time she's lost to an American teenage tennis player since 1999.
And for the haters gloating about this loss, all I have to say about it is remember what happened the last time Serena lost in a Grand Slam tournament. She won Wimbledon, the Olympics and the US Open.
See y'all in Paris in May..
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