WIMBLEDON: Injury and lack of preparation were the final undoing of French Open champion Justine Henin-Hardenne. The 23-year-old, one of the favourites for the Wimbledon title, was yesterday knocked out of the tournament by a player ranked 76th in the world, Eleni Daniilidou of Greece.

In the biggest upset of the day the feisty Belgian and former world number one, who had not played a grass-court match in two years, was erratic and profligate with her shot making and was forced to save two match points in the third set for 5-5 before serving a double fault on the third match point to hand the contest to her opponent 7-6 (8), 2-6, 7-5.

Henin-Hardenne, twice a semi-finalist here, hit 48 unforced errors, four more than her total of 44 winners, to Daniilidou's 15 over two hours and 28 minutes. The defeat came through lack of rhythm and an inability to adjust to the demands of grass, a completely different surface from the clay in Paris.

Throughout the match the seventh seed looked to be a great distance from her normally precise game and failed to find the type of consistency that won her a second French Open title just two weeks ago.

Gone was the inside-out forehand, the shot that has been winning her more points than the beautiful one-handed backhand. Also missing was her ability to dominate the point. Watched anxiously by her husband, Pierre Yves, she could do little when her game began to intermittently crumble around her.

But Henin-Hardenne's disappointment was Daniilidou's triumph and the win could propel 22-year-old through another few rounds of matches.

In her five previous visits to Wimbledon, Daniilidou's best finish was the fourth round in 2002. She has won just three WTA singles titles to date, though this was the second time she has beaten the Belgian.

Part of Henin-Hardenne's problem was that she has had to greatly curtail practice and training because of the threat of a debilitating virus returning as well as a recurring hamstring problem. But she was still seen as a certainty to win the match.

Afterwards, though, there was more pragmatism than despair. She went into the tie knowing the normal package she brings was unavailable to her on this occasion.

"I knew I didn't have the best preparation for coming here and it was the worst draw I could get," said Henin-Hardenne.

"It was a difficult time for me. I didn't find a good rhythm and I missed some opportunities in the third set. My injury got worse in the last two days so it's lots of things that made the situation very difficult for me.

"I'm going to see my doctors in the next few days and take the right decisions about my injury."

The first set was tight enough, Daniilidou winning it on a tiebreak 7-6 before Henin-Hardenne erupted in the second to level 2-6. But she simply could not sustain that level and was in pain throughout, finally falling out of the tournament 7-5.

"It is hard to come here without any matches because you need to get used to the surface," said Henin-Hardenne.

"It is very hard in your first match to play someone who likes the surface - it makes the mission a little more difficult."

Almost following her out was last year's beaten finalist and twice winner, Serena Williams. Playing against the left-handed 20-year-old Angela Haynes, Williams dropped the first set 6-7 to give the younger American some hope she might pull off the second shock of the day.

Lashing out at everything, Haynes was seeing the ball sweetly, and though Williams hit back with the second set 6-4, the match was still alive for both players.

Taking a break point in the third game of the third set, Williams finally got the foothold she was looking for. Spirited and aggressive, Haynes was just too wayward on the bigger points as the relieved former champion finished the match with a 6-2 set.

It could be the fright Williams needed. With no WTA titles to her name and ranked 104 in the world to Williams's four, Haynes was making her debut appearance at the championships.

Serena's elder sister Venus confounded the reputation of Court Two, "The Graveyard of Champions", and though she will be a lot more satisfied than Serena, it was one of her quirky, unconvincing, two-set wins.

For every star there is an East European trying to build a career out of beating her, someone like 20-year-old Eva Birnerova of the Czech Republic, ranked 111 in the world.

As Williams mixed winners with shots that were two feet wide, and handed break points to Birnerova before scrambling back to win the game, she finally closed it out 6-2, 6-4 in a minute over the hour.

Maria Sharapova was a little more direct against Spain's Nuria Llagostera Vives, winning 6-2, 6-2 in 58 minutes, the first set taking just 27 minutes, the second a more lengthy half hour.

It is the first time Sharapova has had to defend a Grand Slam title.

That, it was suggested, is a different type of pressure.

"I love when, you know, people want to beat me or underestimate me,' said the champion defiantly.

"I love that because I love that challenge."

Her lustre has not yet dimmed.