Serena Williams broke down in tears and cut short her post-match press conference after another failed bid to equal Margaret Court’s record Grand Slam haul, calling her defeat to Naomi Osaka “a big error day”. 

The veteran American’s quest to reach a ninth Australian Open final and match Court’s 24 major singles titles ended in a 3-6, 4-6 semi-final mauling by the Japanese third seed. Williams, 39, broke early for a 2-0 lead before Osaka reeled off five straight games to leave her shellshocked.