Serena out on rainy day in Rome

The second round of the 2009 Rome Masters kicked off with a big upset on Tuesday, as Serena Williams was dumped out of the tournament by Switzerland’s Patty Schnyder.

Williams had earlier told the tennis world that she remained the best player in the world despite being bumped off the number one ranking by Dinara Safina.

“We all know who the real No. 1 is,” Williams had said before Schnyder had served up a serving of humble pie in the form of a 6-2, 2-6, 6-1 defeat. “Quite frankly, I’m the best in the world.”

Safina, meanwhile, had little trouble advancing to the 3rd round of the 2009 Rome Masters with a 7-6 (1), 6-1 victory over home favourite Virginie Razzano.

Following the match the Russian berated the tournament organizers for allowing play to continue on wet and slippery courts: “I was just so angry, because you can get injured. It’s soft and you’re afraid to play.”

Defending champion Jelena Jankovic and compatriot Ana Ivanovic both survived the treacherous conditions to put away their 2nd round opponents on Tuesday.