Venus and Serena Williams lose straight sets to Czech pair women's doubles

2016 Rio Olympics - Tennis - Preliminary - Women's Doubles First Round - Olympic Tennis Centre - Rio de Janeiro, Brazil - 07/08/2016. Serena Williams (USA) of USA and Venus Williams (USA) of USA leave after losing their match against Lucie Safarova (CZE) of Czech Republic and Barbora Strycova (CZE) of Czech Republic. REUTERS/Toby Melville TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY. FOR EDITORIAL USE ONLY. NOT FOR SALE FOR MARKETING OR ADVERTISING CAMPAIGNS.

Venus and Serena Williams suffered their first ever defeat in the women's doubles at an Olympic Games with a shock first-round defeat in Rio.

The legendary sisters lost in straight sets (6-3, 6-4) to Czech pair Lucie Safarova and Barbora Strycova.

Serena and Venus have won gold in each of their previous Games as a doubles partnership at Sydney 2000, Beijing 2008 and London 2012.

Dropping points at key moments in the first set proved their downfall, losing it 6-3.

Although the sisters almost matched their opponents point-for-point in the second, they could not sustain their momentum and succumbed 6-4 having held a 4-3 advantage.

It rounds off a miserable Games for Venus who also lost at the first-round stage in the women's singles, coming out on the wrong end of the result in three sets against Belgium's Kirsten Flipkens.

Serena is through to the second round of the singles after her victory Daria Gavrilova.