MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) -- Kimiko Date-Krumm is amazed she's still playing Grand Slam tennis at 42.

''It's a miracle,'' she said.

After a week of setting age-related records and becoming the media darling of this year's Australian Open, the Japanese player lost her third-round singles match on Saturday.

''It was a great tournament for me,'' Date-Krumm said after a 6-2, 7-6 (3) loss to 21-year-old Serbian Bojana Jovanovski.

In a sport dominated with women half her age, it was a great tournament for Date-Krumm.

This was her 43rd time playing a Grand Slam tournament - and she was the oldest woman in the draw by about a decade. The only other player who came close was 33-year-old Greta Arn of Hungary - who lost in the first round.

Date-Krumm is ranked 100th but defied the ranking system. She created a stir by beating No. 12-seeded Nadia Petrova - who is 30 - 6-2, 6-0 in the first round and becoming the oldest woman to win a singles match at the Australian Open.

During the week, she held court at packed press conferences and fielded questions about her secrets to longevity.

''Sleep a lot. Drink water a lot. It's nothing special,'' she said, noting that she's older than some of her opponents' mothers.

Date-Krumm, who is married to German race car driver Michael Krumm, took a 12-year break from tennis and returned in 2008. When she came back, she never planned to play at the Grand Slam level.

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Kimiko Date-Krumm, 42, calls longevity 'a miracle'