US tennis star Serena Williams suffered her second defeat on her farewell tour. The 40-year-old, who announced her early retirement last week, lost 4-6, 0-6 to 19-year-old US Open winner Emma Raducanu from Great Britain at the Cincinnati Masters in Mason/Ohio on Tuesday evening (local time). .
The hard court tournament, officially the Western & Southern Open, was the last stop for the 23-time Grand Slam winner before the US Open.
Raducanu made just one unforced error of the game while Williams made 19. “I can’t believe I just played Serena Williams. I think I’m really lucky that I was able to do that and that our careers have crossed even though the age difference is so big,” Raducanu said. “I just knew how important every single point was because if you slack off just a little bit, it will roll over you. She’s just a legend.” Williams didn’t speak to the media after the game.
The former world number one lost a week ago in the second round of the WTA tournament in Toronto against Olympic champion Belinda Bencic from Switzerland 2: 6, 4: 6. A day earlier, Williams had announced that she would soon retire. The American is expected to retire after the US Open.
(APA)/Image: Imago