Serena Williams loses in 3rd round at Wimbledon

Serena Williams of U.S. plays a return to Alize Cornet of France during their women’s singles match at the All England Lawn Tennis Championships in Wimbledon, London, Saturday, June 28, 2014. AP

LONDON — Five-time champion Serena Williams lost to 25th-seeded Alize Cornet of France 1-6, 6-3, 6-4 in the third round of Wimbledon on Saturday.

It’s Williams’ earliest exit at the All England Club since 2005, when she also was beaten in the third round.

The No. 1-ranked and No. 1-seeded Williams owns 17 Grand Slam titles, but she now has departed before the quarterfinals at four of the past five major tournaments. That includes a fourth-round loss at the Australian Open in January, and a second-round loss at the French Open in May.

But of Williams’ five total losses in all tournaments this season, two have come against Cornet, who also beat the American at the Dubai Championships in February.

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