ROME, May 12

Serena Williams, playing the 1,000th Tour-level match of her glittering career, suffered a shock 7-6(6) 7-5 defeat by Argentina’s Nadia Podoroska in the the Italian Open second round today.

Playing her first competitive match in nearly three months, the 23-time Grand Slam champion twice came back from a break down but struggled on her first serve.

It was the American’s 149th defeat in her 1,000 career WTA matches.

World No. 2 Naomi Osaka also crashed out, losing 7-6(2) 6-2 to American Jessica Pegula. — Reuters