Belgium’s Kirsten Flipkens has caused a huge upset by stunning No.5 seed Venus Williams in the opening round of the women’s singles at the Olympic Tennis Event.
Flipkens trailed 5-3 in the final set before staging a remarkable comeback, winning 4-6 6-3 7-6(5).
The match extended three hours and 20 minutes; the final set alone lasted more than 90 minutes.
Down 5-2 in the final set tiebreak, Williams staged a late rally to level at 5-5. Yet Flipkens held firm, winning the final two points to claim an unlikely victory.
The Belgian next faces Czech Lucie Safarova, who beat Italian Karin Knapp in three sets.
There were several other big-name matches in the women’s opening round.
Eugenie Bouchard beat Sloane Stephens 6-3 6-3, while No.8 seed Carla Suarez Navarro recovered from the loss of the opening set to beat former world No.1 Ana Ivanovic 2-6 6-1 6-2.
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