Serena Williams suffered her first loss since 2012 to a rival outside the WTA's top 100, falling to fellow American Shelby Rogers in a Friday quarter-final at the Top Seed Open.
Rogers, ranked 116th, outlasted ninth-ranked Williams 1-6, 6-4, 7-6 (7/5) after two hours and seven minutes, finishing the 23-time Grand Slam champion with a service winner.
"It's every kid's dream growing up to be able to do something like that," Rogers said. "Weird circumstances. Weird surroundings. But a win is a win."
The US Open hardcourt tuneup event at Lexington, Kentucky, is being staged in a quarantine bubble due to the COVID-19 pandemic that had kept Williams idle since a February Fed Cup appearance.
Top seed Williams had not lost to a player outside the top 100 since falling to France's Virginie Razzano in the first round of the 2012 French Open.
Williams, who ousted sister Venus on Thursday, was playing matches to prepare for the US Open, which starts August 31. She will seek a seventh title on the New York hardcourts to match Margaret Court's all-time record of 24 Grand Slam crowns.
"I have only good things to take," Williams said. "I can play a lot better."
