Erratic Serena stunned in Auckland, Federer falls

Serena Williams’ Australian Open preparation suffered a jolt with fellow American Madison Brengle stunning the world No. 2 6-4, 6-7(3), 6-4 in the second round of the Auckland Classic on Wednesday.

Playing her first tournament since her semifinal loss at the US Open last September, Serena was left to rue the 88 unforced errors she made in the contest against an opponent 70 rungs lower in the WTA rankings.

Brengle was trailing 1-4 before she staged a brilliant comeback to run away with the first set against the 22-time Grand Slam singles champion who had triumphed 6-0, 6-1 in their only previous meeting in 2015.

Serena was a set and 4-3 down when she made a comeback of her own to clinch the tie-breaker and force the decider.

The third set went on serve until the 10th game when Brengle held two match points, only for Serena to fight off both and slump in relief when she hit a crosscourt forehand to get back to deuce. Brengle strode confidently across court, secured her third match point and stared in disbelief as Serena double-faulted to hand her the biggest victory of her career.

Meanwhile, Roger Federer’s return from a six-month injury layoff suffered a setback when German teenager Alexander Zverev shocked the 35-year-old Swiss great 7-6(1), 6-7(4), 7-6(4) in an entertaining Hopman Cup tie on Wednesday.

The 17-time Grand-Slam winner underwent knee surgery last February and, after missing the French Open with a back injury, announced in July that he needed extensive rehabilitation and would be sidelined for the rest of the season.

In Israeli news, Dudi Sela advanced to a quarterfinal of an ATP Tour event for the first time in six months on Wednesday, progressing to the last eight in Chennai, India, with a 6-2, 6-2 win over South Korean Hyeon Chung. Sela (96) next faces Spain’s Albert Ramos-Vinolas (27), aiming to reach his first