'Dating a guy that you know sucks' - Serena Williams has an interesting comparison to her loss

Serena Williams likened the frustration she felt in Tuesday's shock defeat by Maria Sakkari at the Western and Southern Open to that of being stuck in a bad relationship. Williams 5-7 7-6(5) 6-1 loss in the round of 16 was a big blow to her preparations for next week`s U.S. Open, where the 38-year-old is bidding for a record-equalling 24th Grand Slam singles title.

It was a second exhausting three-setter in as many rounds for Williams, who squandered the opportunity to close out the contest on serve in the second set before her Greek opponent launched a comeback.

"It was tough. I literally should have won that match. There was no excuse," Williams, who at one point flung her racket into the empty stands and also received a time violation, told reporters. "I literally put myself in this situation. You know, it’s like dating a guy that you know sucks. That`s literally what I keep doing out here. It’s like I have got to get rid of this guy. It just makes no sense. It’s frustrating. It was hard... I had so many opportunities to win and I have to figure that one out, like how to start winning those matches again."

Fitness issues for Serena

Williams, whose match fitness had been questioned ahead of the Open, said she was also struggling with cramps towards the end of the match. "I started cramping but shouldn`t have been in that situation," she added. "I don’t think that helps mentally when it’s like, you know the match is over and you have won, and now your legs were already tired and now they`re even more tired."

The 23-times Grand Slam champion 5-7 7-6(5) 6-1 and reach the quarter-finals. Williams, 38, raced to a 5-2 in the opening set before Sakkari drew level but the American raised her game again to take the early advantage in the rain-delayed contest.

Williams trailed 3-1 in the second set before reeling off four games in a row and was serving for the match when things began to fall apart. World number 21 Sakkari dragged the set to a tie-breaker before levelling the contest at 1-1, then surged to a 5-0 lead in the decider and completed the upset win on her eighth match point with a powerful forehand.

Sakkari said she did not play well but was delighted with the victory over the third seed. "I knew it was going to be an ugly match from my side but I’m extremely happy with the result," Sakkari said. "She’s a role model for me and many others. What she has achieved in our sport is unique and I don`t know if anyone else is going to do it again."