In their first doubles venture in nearly two years, Serena and Venus Williams were knocked out by the experienced all-Slovenian pairing of Andreja Klepac and Katarina Srebotnik, 6-1, 7-5 in the first round of the 2016 Internazionali BNL d'Italia.
Klepac/Srebotnik Capture Near-Shutout Opening Set
In the opening stages of the match, it was surprisingly the Williams sisters who got off to the better start, earning themselves four break points--including the deciding point--right off the bat with their sheer power. However, the sisters were unable to take any of their opportunities, and were made to pay for it as the all-Slovenian team of Klepac and Srebotnik held to open the match.
From there, the Slovenians used their doubles expertise to draw first blood, breaking at the second time of asking to take a 2-0 lead. With the help of their doubles prowesses, Klepac and Srebotnik were able to further extend their lead by consolidating the break and taking a 3-0 lead.
Despite a few struggles on serve, the Williams sisters managed to get on the board a game later, saving a pair of break points in the process. Unfazed by the slight shift in momentum, Klepac and Srebotnik continued to roll on serve after an early scare, holding once more to put themselves within two games of taking the opening set, leading 4-1.
With Serena and Venus understandably rusty given their lack of match play in recent years, Klepac and Srebotnik continued to dominate in both the forecourt and backcourt, ultimately leading to the Slovenians doubling their advantage by breaking for a second time and taking a commanding 5-1 lead. With little fuss, the all-Slovenian pairing closed out the opening set 6-1 in 25 minutes as Srebotnik hit a glorious forehand winner down the line, wrong-footing both sisters in the process.
Klepac/Srebotnik Survive Late Onslaught from Williams Sisters
Picking up right where they left off, Klepac and Srebotnik broke at love to begin the second set, and things were quickly going from bad to worse for the Williams sisters. Despite a late resurgence from the Americans, the all-Slovenian pairing impressively managed to save a trio of break points en route to consolidating the early break. From there, the next four games of the match went with serve, as both teams were finally beginning to play their best tennis simultaneously.
But in the eighth game, things appeared to take a turn for the better for the 11-time Grand Slam doubles champions. With an impressive display of powerful hitting paired with efficient interceptions, the sisters managed to recover the early break and with it, regain parity at four-games-all.
However, that success appeared to be short-lived as Klepac and Srebotnik's persistence was eventually rewarded with another break, this time giving them an opportunity to serve for the match at a set and 5-4 clear.
But like the resilient duo that they are, the Williams sisters refused to go down without a fight, breaking back in a desperate attempt to prolong their first doubles match since 2014. Unfortunately for the Americans, it was a case of déjà-vu as they were unable to consolidate the break once again, and their Slovenian counterparts took full advantage. Breaking at the second time of asking, Klepac and Srebotnik edged their nose back in front, and had another chance to serve for the victory at 6-5. This time around, the all-Slovenian pairing made no mistake, closing out the match on their second attempt with a signature one-two punch.