Serena Williams, the second-ranked woman’s tennis player in the world, lost to No. 72 Madison Brengle in a 6-4, 6-7(3), 6-4 upset at the ASB Classic in Auckland, New Zealand last night.
“You really have to go back to the drawing board, because it’s quite frankly unprofessional,” Williams said after a performance marred by 88 unforced errors. (To clear up any ambiguity: that is a shit-ton of errors to make over three sets.) She also said she “abhorred” the windy conditions during the match.
The last time the two Americans matched up, at the 2015 Madrid Open, Williams gave up only a single game. If you’re looking for a mitigating factor, you could point to rust—this was just the second match she’d played since losing in the semifinals of the U.S. Open in early September. Williams, who last month correctly identified herself as one of the greatest athletes ever, will get a chance to rebound at the Australian Open, which starts January 16.