- Belinda Bencic defeated Serena Williams in straight sets, 6-2 and 6-4, in the Canadian Open
- It marked her first match since she announced that she would end her tennis career in the near future
- Williams bid an emotional farewell to her supporters in Canada after delivering a heartfelt thank you speech
Serena Williams Loses in Toronto. Belinda Bencic defeated Serena Williams in the second round of the tournament on Wednesday night. She took the match in straight sets to bring one of the final chapters in Serena Williams’s fantastic career to a close.
Serena Williams had announced her intention to retire the previous day.
Bencic won the match 6-2, 6-4, losing only six games in the process. Williams played well but could not match her previous level.
‘Thank you,’ ‘It was a lot of emotion, I love playing here and always love playing here.
‘I wish I could have played better, but Belinda played so well today. It has been an interesting 24 hours.’ Said the 23 Grand Slam Winner
Belinda Bencic beat Serena Williams in the Canadian Open. Photo: Bolavip
Bencic maintained her composure. She resisted allowing the weight of the competition to disturb her, and moved on to the third round.
A video was presented before the match that featured welcomes from former tennis legend Billie Jean King, some upcoming stars like Coco Gauff, among others, and hockey legend Wayne Gretzky from Canada.
Bencic paid tribute to the opponent she had just defeated by stating the following on the court. Fans came to Sobeys Stadium in Toronto Wednesday night to bid farewell to the Tennis great.
The stadium accommodated 12,500 supporters. For the first time in the competition’s history, an outdoor viewing area accommodated an additional 5,000 fans.
Williams, now 40 years old, was presented with presents, including flowers, by the tournament organisers as she made her way off the court to massive cheers and acclaim from her supporters.
Williams will compete in the Western and Southern Open, which will get underway on August 15, and then she will withdraw from the US Open, which will get underway on August 29.
In a gruelling second-round match, Coco Gauff prevailed over the defending Elena Rybakina with a score of 6-4 6-7 (10-8) 7-6 (7-3).
Coco Gauff beats Rybakina to advance to the round of 16
Coco Gauff. Photo: WTA
Meanwhile Coco Gauff, who is only 18 years old, breezed through the first set with four aces. She broke Rybakina in the seventh game, and looked to have the match well in hand.
READ ALSO: Coco Gauff hopes to play against Serena Williams before the legend retires
But Rybakina was not going down without a fight, as she was able to save four match points in the second set tiebreak before ultimately winning.
Gauff, visibly shaken, struggled throughout the third set. She committed a total of seven double faults while the two players traded breaks of swerving back and forth.
The American player then made a valiant effort to regain her composure, winning five consecutive points to secure the third-set tiebreak. She celebrated her victory by pumping her fist and pointing to her brain, which was met with applause from the spectators.
Iga Swiatek, reigning champion Camila Giorgi, Aryna Sabalenka Simona Halep are some of the other players who advanced to the round of 16
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