Tennis' biggest loser Arantxa Rus is still sporting a winning smile

As loss after loss after loss piles up for Arantxa Rus - a record-equalling 17 in a row after her quick Wimbledon exit - at least give the Dutch player credit for this: She's not giving up.

The 156th-ranked Rus was beaten 6-4, 6-2 by Russia's Olga Puchkova in the first round at the All England Club. The WTA said the only other woman it knows of who lost 17 consecutive main-draw, tour-level matches was Sandy Collins of the US, who did it from 1984-87.

Vince Spadea of the US went 0-21 from 1999 to 2000, the longest skid on the men's tour, according to the ATP.

"This year is not a good year for me," Rus said in what might be considered something of an understatement.

"I lost a lot of matches," she continued. "Yeah, it's hard, but I try to keep working hard. That's the only thing you can do."

Rus' most recent victory in a tour-level match came last year on August 19, when she defeated Romina Oprandi 7-5, 6-4 in the first round of a hard-court tournament at Grapevine, Texas. Two days later, Rus lost to Jelena Jankovic 7-6 (7-5), 6-2.

And so began the drought for the 22-year-old Rus, a left-hander who has been ranked as high as 61st and known some measure of success in the past. Her most notable win came at the French Open in May 2011, when she surprised second-seeded Kim Clijsters 3-6, 7-5, 6-1 in the second round.