Third-round U.S Open defeat ends Serena Williams tennis career

• Serena Williams bid goodbye to tennis in an emotional match
• She lost it in the third round to Australian player Alja Tomjlanovic
• Tomjlanovic played in such a manner that put Williams in a tight spot

Serena Williams bid goodbye to tennis in an emotional match after losing to Australian player Alja Tomjlanovic at the U.S Open.

She lost it in the third round after putting up a brave show at Flushing Meadows in New York in the first and second rounds.

Thanks to her victories in the opening two rounds, there was hope for one final dream run and a record-tying 24th Grand Slam victory.

Tomjlanovic played in such a manner that put Williams in a tight spot. She appeared like a player who hadn’t played tennis in 10 years – it was a sad ending for her nearly three-decade career.

Serena Williams. Photo/DNA India

As she turns 41, she will be looking at other things besides pro-tennis, as she made it known in early August. The world No. 605 fought against the fading of the light by saving five match points after dropping five straight games in the final set.

Williams’ cheers by her fans filled the air, but it was not enough to secure her a win. She fought till the finish as usual, but Tomljanovic still won the last six games to triumph 7-5 6-7 6-1 in slightly over three hours.

The song “Simply the Best” was played when a standing ovation greeted Williams’ final loss at the jam-packed Arthur Ashe Stadium. Tomljanovic defeated Russia’s Evgeniya Rodina 1-6, 6-2, 7-5 to secure her play with Williams in the third round.

The only other occasion the six-time winner had fallen in the third round of the US Open was at the age of 16. She lost to Irina Spirlea on her US Open debut in 1998.

She shocked many by putting up a splendid performance far from the real image of a player ranked past 600.

Williams, 40, has always found it difficult to accept defeat. Her unyielding desire to win shone through during a gripping two hours and twenty-seven-minute match of unexpectedly high quality, frantic intensity, and dramatic tension.

Serena Williams at US Open. Photo/CBS Sports

Williams announced earlier this month that she was “growing away from tennis,” but she never officially declared the U.S. Open to be her last tournament.

On Wednesday, she said that she is glad things at Flushing Meadows are coming together, as evidenced by the first two matches.

However, she noted that she had nothing to prove because she was only doing what she does best.

When asked if she thought she had a shot at winning her eighth U.S. Open, Williams hedged, saying she was still taking it one match at a day but that she felt like things were good.

She remarked that she is enjoying every match and does not want to leave New York because her game is quite good. She adds that her matches are not a reflection of her training sessions yet, but she is keeping up the speed.

Williams, who has won 23 Grand Slam singles titles, is one of the best female tennis players of all time.