2012 Australian Open: Serena Williams Outplayed by Ekaterina Makarova

Despite playing with an ankle injury, Serena Williams made easy work of her first three opponents at the 2012 Australian Open. That came to a screeching halt on Monday morning, as she was bounced from the tournament in straight sets by Ekaterina Makarova, 6-2, 6-3. 

Williams entered the event with a 17-match Australian Open winning streak. She played terrible right from the start, committing seven double faults in this match. This has always been an event that she dominates, so you know something had to be off with her to play this badly. 

Give credit where credit is due: Makarova took advantage of Williams' faults and played much better than anyone could have expected. Makarova was forcing Williams to run around the court trying to keep up with her, and it showed as she wore down in the second set. 

Williams was the last American woman standing at the Australian Open. The top four seeds coming into the event—Caroline Wozniacki, Petra Kvitova, Victoria Azarenka, Maria Sharapova—are still alive and breathing easier now. 

Even though Williams may not have been at her peak physically, she is always dangerous. Look at the way she ran through her first three matches, and you know that she had all the other women checking their rear-view mirrors to see where she was. 

Williams was overmatched and outclassed against Makarova. She did not do nearly enough to be competitive in this match, and it showed with the outcome. Honestly, she was lucky to win five sets, considering how bad she looked. 

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