Serena Williams crashes out of Australian Open third round after stunning Qiang Wang display

Serena Williams has crashed out of the Australian Open after a phenomenal display from Qiang Wang in the third round.

The 38-year-old, bidding to win a 24th Grand Slam which would equal Margaret Court's record, was unable to dominate in her usual fashion and gave herself too much work to do.

But 27th seed Wang deserved enormous credit for an outstanding display as she celebrated a 6-4, 6-7, 7-5 victory to knock out the six-time winner at the Rod Laver Arena.

The Chinese would have been out for revenge after being dealt a 6-1, 6-0 thrashing by Williams in the US Open quarter-finals last year, and her determination was evident from the first minute.

The first set could not have been tighter, with neither player conceding on their serve for eight games in a row despite Williams earning four break points in that time.

She was made to pay in the ninth after a series of errors, including a double fault, to hand Wang the break and she locked it down to seal the first set 6-4.

Williams began to show her menacing side with more power and aggression than the first set but Wang's athleticism and ability to return even the most difficult shot was proving problematic.

As Williams grew more desperate for a crucial break, the tally of unforced errors on her side increased with it and when Wang secured a break in the sixth, it looked a step too far for the American.

Nobody expected a true champion like Williams to go down without a fight and she clung on at 5-4 to put the pressure onto Wang's shoulders before edging a high-octane rally to break back.

Wang brushed off the disappointment to take it to a tiebreak but it felt the momentum had swung in Williams' favour and when she dominated 7-2 to force a decider, it seemed as if she would take the match by the scruff of the neck.

But nobody read that part of the script to Wang, who continued to serve consistently and leading 6-5, the pressure moved back onto Williams.

And after passing up the first two match points, Williams struck the net and Wang had done it. The perfect tonic for revenge after her defeat last year and the wait goes on for that elusive 24th Slam for Serena.