MELBOURNE, Australia — Serena Williams has created intergenerational battles through her own longevity and her own brilliance.
At 33, Williams plays opponents who are nearly all from the younger set. Many of them watched her on television when they were trying to decide whether they preferred to hit tennis balls seriously or shoot basketballs instead.
Garbiñe Muguruza, the daughter of a Venezuelan mother and a Spanish father, was one of those who chose tennis balls, and she has learned to hit them with devastating effect.
Last year at the French Open, she went on a tear in the second round, defeating Williams, 6-2, 6-2.
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Williams rode the momentum of that great escape and broke Muguruza’s serve in the next game to take a 2-1 lead. She never gave it back.
Though the younger generation is clearly on the rise, Williams is still on top of the pyramid.
A version of this article appears in print on January 26, 2015, on page D6 of the New York edition with the headline: Serena Williams Drops a Set, Then Cruises . Order Reprints| Today’s Paper|Subscribe
