US tennis legend Serena Williams has had a dramatic start to her bid for the 24th Grand Slam title, losing the first set of her opening French Open match to unseeded Russian player Vitalia Diatchenko.
The 28-year-old Russian has stunned the former world number one with her powerful hits prompting Williams to make multiple unforced errors.
Diatchenko broke her opponent twice in the first set to take a lead in the match winning the match opener 6-2.
Ahead of the French Open Williams withdrew from several tennis tournaments this spring, including the Miami Open and the Italian Open, citing health issues.