This duel of more than three hours was possibly the last of Serena Williams, who mentioned a few weeks ago that she was going to bow out soon, possibly following the United States Open.
She was also warmly applauded by the many supporters gathered in the Arthur Ashe stadium to support her.
Oh my God! Thank you so much. You were amazing today. I tried really hard. I would have liked to win. I gave everything. Thanks dad, I know you’re watching. I want to thank everyone who has followed me for all these years
exclaimed Williams, in tears following the meeting.
They are tears of joy. I think. I do not know
she specified with a laugh, before continuing by thanking her family and her entire team.
She took a moment to reflect on her long career of more than 25 years.
It’s been the best adventure I’ve been on in my life
she said.
Asked if we might see her once more, she replied:I don’t know, you never know.
Williams fought back in the first run but ran out of steam and the Aussie took the lead. However, she recovered in the second set, bringing the score to 4-0 before suffering a first break from the Australian who collected a first point.
Tomljanovic had not said his last word. She began a spectacular comeback that forced a tiebreaker, won by the veteran following a hard-fought battle.
Williams was carried away by the crowd’s enthusiasm at the start of the third set and smashed her opponent from the start. The Aussie responded with a break, then made it 3-1, putting some pressure on the tennis star. Exhausted, the latter was never able to catch up.
Tomljanovic needs six match points to win.
In the next round, Ajla Tomljanovic will face Russian Liudmila Samsonova, 35th in the world.
Earlier in the tournament, Williams defeated Estonian Anett Kontaveit, 2nd in the world, and Montenegrin Danka Kovinic.
In doubles, the duo of the Williams sisters had been eliminated in the first round on Thursday evening. Venus and Serena were defeated by Czechs Lucie Hradecka and Linda Nsokova in three sets, ending their run at Flushing Meadows.
This match was possibly the last that the two players shared.
Serena Williams had announced a few weeks ago that she was going to bow out soon. She had hinted in Vogue magazine that she might announce her retirement following the US Open.
If so, this clash was the last of his career. The player who won 23 major titles had indicated that she wanted to try to have another child and focus on other business opportunities.
Her daughter, Olympia, will soon celebrate her 5th birthday. The 40-year-old was also pregnant when she won her last major title in Melbourne in 2017.
With 23 Grand Slam titles, the American has won more major singles tournaments than anyone else in the modern era, male or female. Margaret Court holds the record with 24 titles, but she won some during the amateur era.
Serena Williams faced Australian Alja Tomljanovic in the third round of the US Open. Antoine Deshaies is there.
