Serena Williams Loses to Petra Kvitova on the Road to 2018 US Open

Eighth-seeded Petra Kvitova defeated Serena Williams 6-3, 2-6, 6-3 on Tuesday night in a second-round match at the Western & Southern Open in Cincinnati.

The elimination in Cincinnati came roughly two weeks after the worst loss of Williams' career, as Johanna Konta beat her 6-1, 6-0 in the first round of the Silicon Valley Classic.

Serena has now played two tournaments since reaching the final at Wimbledon and falling to Angelique Kerber.

According to ESPN.com, Williams said the following regarding her comeback after giving birth to her first child in September 2017: "You know, this is a long comeback. I just began. I just started—definitely at the very, very beginning. I'm getting there, and I'm going to just continue to work hard and, hopefully, I'll start winning more matches."

The 36-year-old has played in just five tournaments since returning to the court, and she is currently ranked 27th in the world.

Per ESPN.com, Williams has suffered blood clots and postpartum depression during her comeback.

The final Grand Slam of the 2018 season—the U.S. Open—will begin Aug. 27. Williams is a six-time U.S. Open champion and 23-time Grand Slam winner overall.