Seven-time Grand Slam champion Venus Williams suffered a major setback as she bowed out of the Rogers Cup after going down against Ukraine's Elina Svitolina, in the third round of the women's singles event here on Friday.
Williams, who was the oldest player in the draw, was easily dispatched by fifth-seed Svitolina 2-6, 1-6 in a third round encounter that lasted exactly an hour.
In the second career meeting between the two players, Svitolina was in a strong position from the beginning as she took a 5-0 lead over Williams in the opening set and never returned.
During the match, the Ukrainian tennis star also smashed 14 winners while making just 10 unforced errors en route to her first-ever victory over Williams.
However, it should be noted that Williams had been performing extremely well ahead of this pre-quarterfinals, having registered her first-ever win in Toronto with a victory over Romania's Irina-Camelia Begu before sweeping aside Ericsson Open champion Katerina Siniakova in the second round in straight sets.
However, the American, who will be chasing her third U.S. Open crown next month after reaching the Wimbledon and Australian Open finals this year, failed to replicate the same against Svitolina to make an exit from the Rogers Cup.
Svitolina will now lock horns with fourth-seed Garbine Muguruza in her first-ever quarterfinals at the Rogers Cup.
In another women's singles clash, third-seed Angelique Kerber of Germany also knocked out of the tournament after suffering a 2-6, 2-6 defeat against American tennis player Sloane Stephens.
(With ANI Inputs).
