Playing his first match in more than two months, Roger Federer lost in three sets to Pablo Andujar at the ATP clay-court event in Geneva.
Federer, the top seed at the 250-level tournament, led 4-2 in the final set before bowing out 6-4 4-6 6-4.
The loss snapped his 32-match winning streak on Swiss soil, dating back to the 2013 Basel final.
Pablo spoils the Swiss party ?
— Tennis TV (@TennisTV) May 18, 2021
Pablo Andujar wins the last four games to defeat Federer 6-4 4-6 6-4 in his first match back on clay since 2019 in Geneva pic.twitter.com/NqIUmzqBtu
“Sure, it’s rewarding to be back on a tennis court. But I expect better from myself,” Federer said.
“I feel like in practice I’ve been playing better, even in practice here. But ... matches are a different animal. I’ve got my work cut out there.
“Of course at 4-2 in the third you feel like, ‘Oh, that’s nice that I was able to turn around the match.’ But we know how tennis goes and that’s where it’s so brutal sometimes.
“I feel like I didn’t deserve it at the end. There was just not enough happening in my game.”
The 20-time Grand Slam champion last played in early March in Doha, where he beat Dan Evans in his opening match before falling in three sets to Nikoloz Basilashvili.
His 2021 record stands at 1-2 heading into Roland Garros, which begins on 30 May in Paris.
“Roland Garros is not the goal. The goal is the grass, so I still have time,” Federer said.
Andujar, meanwhile, advances to the quarterfinals where he will face either Marton Fucsovics or Dominic Stephan Stricker. Stricker, an 18-year-old Swiss wildcard, stunned Marin Cilic 7-6(5) 6-1 in the first round.
“To win a tournament could be more emotional, but this is something I think I will remember my whole life,” said Andujar, after notching his first win over a top-10 player in more than six years.
Second seed Denis Shapovalov is the top-ranked player remaining in the Geneva draw.
Serena stumbles in Parma
Serena Williams bowed out in the second round of the WTA clay-court tournament in Parma, Italy, on Tuesday.
After dropping a tight opening set, Williams fell away in the second against Katerina Siniakova, at one stage losing 15 straight points to go down 7-6(4) 6-2.
"I didn't do a lot of mistakes, and I think she felt it," Siniakova said.
"I think she was trying to go harder and doing a lot of mistakes, which helped me. I'm really happy I could keep my level all match.
"Not every day is really amazing. If you go to play against a player like this, you really have nothing to lose, so I came up and wanted to enjoy it.”
Williams, who lost her first-round match last week in Rome to Nadia Podoroska, heads to Roland Garros with a 1-2 win-loss record on clay this season.
Siniakova, who beat No.1 seed Naomi Osaka at Roland Garros in 2019, joins Sloane Stephens and Amanda Anisimova in the quarterfinals.
Coco Gauff was another winner in Parma on Tuesday, with the American teen stopping Kaia Kanepi in two tiebreaks to reach the second round.