The ASB Classic has lost its two headline acts in the space of a disastrous couple of hours, with the Williams sisters exiting the tournament before the quarterfinal stages.
Venus Williams was forced to withdraw from the tournament after picking up an arm injury in her first round win over plucky Kiwi teen Jade Lewis earlier today. But it was younger sister Serena's exit that came as the bigger shock, as the 22-time grand slam winner was sent packing by little known American opponent Madison Brengle.
Brengle, ranked 73 in the world, triumphed 6-4 6-7 (5-7) 6-4 in a 2hr 20min marathon. The 26-year-old raised her hands to her mouth when she realised she had overcome one of the game's greatest players, with Williams sealing her fate with a double-fault.
Brengle brought a defensive mindset to the match, chasing down everything Williams sent her way and waited for her opponent to make a mistake. The WTA Tour journeywoman heavily favoured the forehand slice, frustrating her opponent by taking the pace off the ball.
After a rusty opening round performance against Frenchwomen Pauline Parmentier yesterday in a match that posed more challenges that she would have liked, Williams started strongly against her compatriot. She raced out to a 4-1 lead in the first set and looked to have found a good rhythm.
But as the wind picked up at the ASB Tennis Centre, Williams' serve - and composure - deteriorated. The swirling breeze took the sting out of Williams' serve, as the former world number one lost her confidence in her ability to read the wind, sometimes requiring two or three ball tosses before she was happy to connect.
Facing the same challenges, Brengle maintained her focus, rattling off the next five games to take out the first set.
It wasn't just the players having trouble with the wind. The strong southwesterly also claimed the one of the courtside umbrellas during a break in play, while a programme also blew on to the court while a point was in progress.
Clearly disappointed with how the opening set turned out, Williams returned to the court in the second ready to fight. She had to battle hard to hold serve, with every winner she hit greeted by a loud shout and a fist pump.
Brengle looked to have secured a crucial break in Williams' fourth service game, but the world number two answered straight back with a break of her own. Williams further steadied herself by comfortably holding serve in the following game and was on track to close out the set when she went up three break points.
That advantage quickly disintegrated however, as the unforced errors returned. Williams blew five set points before she was eventually able to force the match into a third set in a tiebreak.
The tit-for-tat battle continued in the third, as Brengle stubbornly refused to give away any easy points. With the set remaining on serve, it left Williams serving to stay in the match at 5-4.
A stray shot from Williams, followed up by a well-placed lob from Brengle on the next point left the tournament's headline act forced to rescue two match points, which she did to send it to deuce. But from there her fight left her, with Williams exiting the tournament with a double fault.
