New York: Serena Williams’ campaign at the US Open 2022 ended after she lost the match to Australia’s Ajla Tomljanovic in the third round of women’s singles.
In a match that lasted a little more than three hours, Tomljanović defeated Williams 7-5, 6-7(4), 6-1 to advance to the round of 16.
Tomljanovic, 29, came into the match in peak form, having won 15 of her last 19 matches.
Serving at 0-1, 30-40 in the second set, Tomljanovic could only watch as Williams put away a nifty backhand volley for the break, reigniting both herself and the crowd. The Aussie saved four set points in the 15-minute-long eighth game of the set to pull to within 3-5 before leveling the proceedings at 5-all.
Headed into a tiebreak, Williams finally making good on her fifth set point to force a decider. Tomljanovic broke for 3-1 in the final set , the most memorable victory of her career in hand.
Serena Williams, the 23-time grand slam singles champion, announced last month that she will “evolve away from tennis” after this year’s US Open to focus on “other things that are important to me.”
