Evening Telegraph (First Edition)
Williams labels herself ‘unprofessional’ after losing to Wang in Oz
SERENA Williams branded herself “unprofessional” after her bid for a recordequalling 24th grand slam singles title at the Australian Open ended with a shock third-round loss to China’s Wang Qiang.
When they met at the US Open last summer, Wang won just one game and 15 points but it was a completely different story this time as the 27th seed claimed a 6-4 6-7 (2) 7-5 victory.
Williams won her first tournament in three years in Auckland earlier this month and arrived in Melbourne with a determined intensity that seemed to indicate she was ready to put four recent grand slam final losses behind her.
It would have been fitting, meanwhile, had the 38-year-old finally moved level with Margaret Court in Melbourne as the tournament marks the 50th anniversary of her calendar Grand Slam.
But Williams made 56 unforced errors compared to 20 for her opponent, and said: “I just made far too many errors to be a professional athlete.
“I lost that match. I literally can’t do that again. That’s unprofessional. It’s not cool.”
While the focus was on Williams, this was a special day for Wang, particularly given what happened in New York last summer.
“I’m really happy now,” she said.
“I always believed I can do this one day. I did really hard work in the off-season, so it paid off.”
Wang was coached for four years by Australian former doubles great Peter McNamara, who died from cancer last summer.
“He will be proud of me. I miss him,” she said.
In the fourth round, Wang will face unseeded Tunisian Ons Jabeur, who ended the career of Williams’ great friend Caroline Wozniacki as the Dane announced her retirement.