Serena Williams Loses Wimbledon Comeback Match to Harmony Tan in Epic Tie-Breaker

GLYN KIRK/AFP via Getty Serena Williams

A thrilling match between Serena Williams and Harmony Tan of France came down to an epic tie-breaker in Tuesday's competition at Wimbledon.

Ultimately, Tan, 24, defeated Williams, 40, eliminating the tennis legend from Wimbledon in the first round. The athletes competed for a total of three hours and 10 minutes.

Williams struggled during the first set, which ended in Tan's favor. But the 40-year-old tennis legend came out strong in the second set with a dominant performance, winning 6-1.

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After a back-and-forth third set, the pair went to the tiebreaker and Tan was able to hold on and defeat Williams.

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The first round defeat comes almost exactly one year after Williams suffered a hamstring tear that kept her from advancing past the first round. After the 2021 match, Williams told BBC she felt her future was in doubt while recovering from the injury, which she sustained while facing Aliaksandra Sasnovich at Wimbledon in 2021.

Williams first teased an appearance at 2022 Wimbledon in an April post to her Instagram Story featuring Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers. "We've been talking about my comeback, and he's been hyping me up and getting me ready for Wimbledon," Williams told her followers of Rodgers.

However, Williams noted that she had been taking her recovery "one day a time."

Tan will face Sara Sorribes Tormo, the 32nd seeded player from Spain, in the second round.