Serena and Venus Williams have been ousted from the women's doubles competition in the first round at the Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro.
The pair - three-times doubles gold medallists - had never lost an Olympic match as partners prior to their encounter with the Czech Republic's Lucie Safarova and Barbora Strycova but were stunned in straight sets, 6-3 6-4, at the Olympic Tennis Center.
Their opposition had only played together once before - a defeat in a Fed Cup match in 2015 - and had only recently begun training together after Strycova was drafted in as a late replacement for Karolina Pliskova, who withdrew over Zika concerns.
"We played terrible and it showed in the results," said Serena, who had earlier advanced to the second round of the singles competition. "I wasn't playing the way I needed to play. I wasn't crossing the way I need to cross.
"It was what it was. We have a chance to compete for our country and did the best that we can. We had a blast out there.
"I wouldn't say it was devastating. It was a lot of fun and we will always remember these moments and these matches. At the end of the day, I think that's what matters most."
The Williams sisters clinched gold in the doubles in 2000, 2008 and 2012, while Venus claimed singles gold in 2000 and Serena took gold at London 2012.
Neil Wilkes
