Serena Williams Falls in Third Round of Australian Open

Serena Williams' quest for an elusive 24th major championship will have to wait a few more months.

Serena Williams' quest for her elusive 24th singles major championship will have to wait until the French Open. The eighth-seeded Williams fell in the third round of the Australian Open to No. 27 Wang Qiang 6-4, 6-7(2), 7-5.

Wang broke Williams in the ninth game of the first set and held serve in the ensuing game to win the set. In the second, Wang broke Williams in the fifth game of the set, taking a 3-2 advantage. Wang had a chance to serve out the match, leading 5-4, but Williams broke back to even the match. In the tiebreak, Williams took a 2-1 mini-break advantage, before winning 7-2. 

The two held serve throughout almost the entirety of the third set, until the 12th and final game, which saw Wang break Williams and win the match.

Williams won the last of her seven Australian Open titles in 2017, but hasn't added a major championship since, falling twice each in the finals of Wimbledon and the U.S. Open. Her recent title in Auckland, New Zealand, was her first at tour-level in almost three years.

Williams entered her third round match having defeated Slovenia's Tamara Zidansek and Russia's Anastasia Potapova in straight sets.

Wang moves to the fourth round, where she will face Ons Jabeur who beat Caroline Wozniacki in three sets.