Williams crashes out

Serena Williams was sent crashing out of the Australian Open after suffering a straight-sets defeat to unseeded Ekaterina Makarova.

Serena Williams was sent crashing out of the Australian Open after suffering a straight-sets defeat to unseeded Ekaterina Makarova. Williams, a 13-time grand slam champion, never looked comfortable on Rod Laver Arena - with the Russian storming to a 6-2 6-3 victory in 82 minutes. Williams was her own worst enemy at times and was guilty of making 37 unforced errors, with a further seven double faults, in sweltering temperatures at Melbourne Park. Makarova also played some sublime tennis from the baseline as the world No.56 ended the American's 17-match winning run at the Australian Open. Williams won the 2009 and 2010 titles but she was unable to defend her crown last year through injury. "I don't know what to say, it's an amazing feeling," Makarova said after securing her place in the quarter-finals. "I'm really happy that I finished in my way ... It's an unbelievable feeling I don't know what to say." Williams insisted that she had no excuses for her shock exit, despite having injured her ankle in the build up to the grand slam. "She played really well, she went for broke on a lot of shots," Williams said. "I made 37 errors and that pretty much told the story of the match. "It was definitely hard moving to that (left) side ... I just did not serve well, it was just disastrous really. "I never blame any injury I have because I feel like she played really well and deserved the win." However, she added she was "not physically 100 per cent" and that she could "play 100 times better than I did this whole tournament''. Thoughts then turned to how she would bounce back. "I am always thinking about things I can do better next time around. That's usually how I respond," Williams continued. "I'm already thinking about practising as soon as tomorrow. I can think of 100 things I can do.''