Serena Williams waves to fans after losing in the first round at the Wimbledon Open to Maya Joint, in London, Tuesday. (Xinhua-Yonhap) Tennis legend Serena Williams suffered a first-round exit in her long-awaited singles return, falling in her first official singles match in nearly four years.Williams was defeated 3-6, 7-6 (6), 3-6 by Australia's Maya Joint in the opening round of the women's singles draw at the 2026 Wimbledon Championships on Tuesday at the All England Club in London. It marked Williams' first official singles match since the 2022 US Open.A seven-time Wimbledon champion, Williams entered the tournament on a wild card after falling out of the world rankings during her extended absence from competition. Facing 20-year-old Joint, who is ranked No. 87 in the world and 24 years her junior, Williams relied on her trademark powerful serve, but dropped the opening set. She then saved match point in the second set before rallying to force a decider.After a hard-fought battle lasting 2 hours and 22 minutes, Williams ultimately dropped the third set, handing Joint a memorable upset victory.Williams' two daughters were in attendance to cheer her on during the match. Despite her singles exit, Williams will continue competing in the women's doubles event alongside her sister, Venus Williams. The pair faces Colombia's Camila Osorio and Argentina's Solana Sierra in the opening round.Elsewhere, defending champion Iga Swiatek, world No. 2 Elena Rybakina and men's contender Alexander Zverev all advanced comfortably to the second round.Speaking through tournament organizers after the match, Serena Williams said she enjoyed the atmosphere of returning to the Wimbledon courts. Joint said she had always dreamed of facing a legendary figure like Williams and expressed her excitement after the win.(This article was produced with the assistance of AI. — Ed.)