3 minute read
Serena Williams has been beaten in straight sets in the round of 32 at the Canadian Open, as was Australian Ajla Tomljanovic and second seed Anett Kontaveit.
Serena Williams wore her game face when she stepped out into the stadium for her first match since telling the world she is ready to leave professional tennis.
Greeted by a standing ovation, the 23-time grand slam champion didn't smile. She didn't wave. She took a sip from a plastic bottle as she walked in.
No one knows exactly how many more matches Williams will play before she puts her racquets away for good, and the 40-year-old American exited the Canadian Open on Wednesday night with a 6-2 6-4 loss to Swiss 12th seed Belinda Bencic.
"A lot of emotions, obviously," Williams told spectators who offered her encouragement throughout the evening.
The second-round match at the hard-court tuneup for the US Open came a day after she announced "the countdown has begun" on her playing career, saying she wants to have another child and pursue business interests.
She did not state precisely what her last event will be, but did make it sound as if her final farewell will come in New York. Williams has won the singles title at Flushing Meadows six times -- first in 1999 and most recently in 2014 -- to go along with seven championships apiece at Wimbledon and the Australian Open, plus three at the French Open.
"It's been a pretty interesting 24 hours," Williams said.
"I wish I could have played better but Belinda played so well today.
"I'm terrible at goodbyes," she added with her hand on her chest, "but goodbye, Toronto!"
Williams, a three-time champion in Canada, was playing for only the third time in the past 12 months due to a leg injury.
It did not help that she was facing an opponent 15 years her junior and quite talented to boot. Bencic took home the Toronto trophy at age 18 in 2015, won a gold medal for Switzerland at the Tokyo Olympics last year and has been a grand slam semi-finalist.
She'll face Spain's Garbine Muguruza in the round of 16 after the eighth seed defeated Kaia Kanepi 6-4 6-4.
Earlier on Wednesday, Australia's Ajla Tomljanovic found current world No.1 Iga Swiatek too hot to handle, losing in straight sets.
The 21-year-old Swiatek, who is enjoying a stellar year, broke twice in the opening set on her way to a 6-1 6-2 victory and a last-16 match against Brazil's Beatriz Haddad Maia.
Another young gun in American Coco Gauff outlasted Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina 6-4 6-7 (10-8) 7-6 (7-3) in a marathon clash, while another former No.1 in Czech Karolina Pliskova outclassed Amanda Anisimova 6-1 6-1.
Pliskova stormed home in 53 minutes just a few days after Anisimova bounced her out in the second round of the Silicon Valley Classic and next faces Greek powerhouse Maria Sakkari.
Second seed Anett Kontaveit of Estonia was upset 6-4 6-4 by Switzerland's Jil Teichmann, who now takes on two-time grand slam champion Simona Halep in the third round after the Romanian eased past China's Zhang Shuai 6-4 6-2..
Defending champion Camila Giorgia of Italy was a 6-3 7-5 winner over Belgian Elise Mertens while seventh seed Jessica Pegula won the all-American tie against Asia Muhammad 6-2 7-5.
With agencies.
