Bayern Munich suffer 4-1 loss to end long unbeaten run

…As Venus Williams slumps to opening defeat at French Open***

Quadruple winners Bayern Munich slumped to a shock 4-1 loss at Hoffenheim in the Bundesliga on Sunday to end their 32-match unbeaten run in all competitions stretching back to last year.

Bayern Munich, winners of the UEFA Super Cup against Sevilla after extra time on Thursday, had not lost since Dec. 7, 2019.

They had gone 21 consecutive Bundesliga matches without defeat, winning their last 15.

The European champions conceded two goals in eight minutes as their usually solid defence collapsed under Hoffenheim pressure.

Ermin Bicackcic put them ahead in the 16th minute and Manus Dabbur doubled the lead.

Joshua Kimmich cut the deficit with a superbly curled shot into the top corner in the 36th minute and Bayern Munich missed several good chances to level early in the second half.

But Andrej Kramaric, who had earlier hit the post, killed off their hopes in the 77th minute.

He controlled a cross with his back to the goal and turned beautifully to beat goalkeeper Manuel Neuer.

A stoppage-time penalty kick by Croatia forward Kramaric crowned a memorable win for Hoffenheim.

In another development, a former French Open runner-up Venus Williams suffered her second successive first round loss in a Grand Slam as she went down 6-4 6-4 to Slovakia’s Anna Karolina Schmiedlova on Sunday.

With a chill wind blowing and drizzle falling on the Simonne-Mathieu arena, the 40-year-old Williams began strongly but got bogged down in a baseline battle on a slow surface.

The American has now fallen in the opening round at the French Open for the past three years.

Also read: Bayern Munich complete quadruple with Super Cup win over Sevilla

Williams led 3-1 and 4-2 in the first set against the 26-year-old who is playing under a special ranking after undergoing knee surgery.

But she lost a series of lengthy games as a first set lasting 68 minutes slipped away.

Unable to hold her once mighty serve, Williams, the oldest player in the draw, fell 4-1 down in the second set.

This came as Schmiedlova moved within sight of snapping a streak of 12 successive Grand Slam first round defeats since 2016.

Williams, who played in black leggings and a bodywarmer, finally held serve.

That was after being broken six times in a row to close to 3-4 in the second as Schmiedlova began to look a little nervy.

But the Slovak edged 5-3 in front.

Seven-times Grand Slam champion Williams fought ferociously until the end, saving two match points on serve.

But Schmiedlova showed great composure to serve it out, sealing victory with a forehand down the line.

Williams, playing her 87th Grand Slam and now ranked 76th in the world, also lost in the opening round at the U.S Open.