Ajla Tomljanovic of Australia has made history by defeating Serena Williams at the US Open for the last time after the 23-time major winner acknowledged her career to be concluded.
Serena and the boisterous audience couldn’t stop Tomljanovic, who prevailed 7-5, 6-7,6-1.
After suffering through two sets that couldn’t separate the two, the final began when Tomljanovic broke Serena early and rode that momentum to a 5-1 lead. Ajla Tomljanovic ran into a classic Serena Williams, though, who utilised all of her determination to avoid losing while serving for the match.
The American, who benefited from the crowd’s support in the previous round when she pulled off an unlikely victory, managed to save five match points during Tomljanovic’s lengthy service game that lasted more than 14 minutes before she was finally defeated.
Even during the on-court interview, Serena only made passing references to this being her final tournament.
At the US Open, fifth-seeded Tunisian Ons Jabeur defeated hometown favourite Shelby Rogers 4-6 6-4 6-3 to go to the fourth round of the competition for the first time.
The Wimbledon finalist got off to a slow start, missing breakpoint opportunities before finding her groove in the second set. In the decisive match, the Tunisian quickly built a 4-0 lead before the American battled back, only to make crucial mistakes once more to give Jabeur the victory.
Additionally moving on to the following round were Caroline Garcia, Alison Riske, Coco Gauff, Karolna Plková, and Danielle Collins.
The sound system bellowed Tina Turner’s hit single “Simply The Best” as she waved goodbye and made her signature spin.
Williams responded when asked if she would think about coming out after her performances this week: “I’m literally playing my way into this and getting better. I should have started sooner this year. I don’t think so, but you never know.”
When interviewed in the middle of the court, Williams was filled with emotion and thanked her family, team, the spectators, and her supporters all over the world for their continued support.
Here are some Twitter reactions following Serena Williams’ last US Open defeat:
