RT.com
11 Aug 2022, 22:12 GMT+10
The tennis great was easily beaten in the second round of the Canadian Open
Tennis icon Serena Williams' farewell to the sport she dominated for two decades is off to a slow star after she was bested in straight sets by Belinda Bencic in the second round of the Canadian Open.
Williams, 40, revealed earlier this week in an interview with Vogue magazine that she had decided to "evolve away from tennis", indicating that a record breaking career which brought her 23 Grand Slam singles crowns was coming to a close - something which was not lost on the center court crowd at Sobeys Stadium in Toronto, who greeted her entry to the arena with a standing ovation.
The audience were primed for what proved to be Williams final appearance at the tournament by a tribute video which saw the likes of Billie Jean King, Coco Gauff and Emma Raducanu pay homage to the once dominant star.
But if a fairytale ending to Williams' history at the Canadian Open - where she has been a victor three times - was the crowd's collective desire, fate didn't quite supply it as Switzerland's Bencic eased into the third round with a 6-2, 6-4 win.
Williams had a glimmer of hope in the first set when she threatened to break Bencic's serve but the Swiss rallied, even if she needed five set points to eventually claim the first.
Bencic seemed to be a half beat ahead throughout. She took ascendency in the second set when she broke Williams' serve, and didn't let up until the win was confirmed.
"It's been a pretty interesting 24 hours... I'm terrible at goodbyes. But, goodbye Toronto," Williams said afterwards.
"I always had amazing times here both on and off the court. I'll be coming back just as a visitor to the city but otherwise it's been remarkable.
"It was a lot of emotions obviously," she added.
"I love playing here, I've always loved playing here. I wish I could've played better but Belinda played so well today."
Bencic, who will take on eighth seed Garbine Muguruza in the next round, added her own tribute: "Tonight was really special, it is also overwhelming as it is always an honor to play Serena. Tonight is about her."
READ MORE: Serena Williams announces future plans
(RT.com)
Get a daily dose of Toronto Telegraph news through our daily email, its complimentary and keeps you fully up to date with world and business news as well.
Publish news of your business, community or sports group, personnel appointments, major event and more by submitting a news release to Toronto Telegraph.
More InformationNEW YORK, New York - U.S. stocks and bonds caught on to a global trend Thursday as sellers took charge ...
CHICAGO, Illinois: The Chicago Symphony Orchestra (CSO) and the Chicago Federation of Musicians announced over the weekend that they agreed ...
ANKARA, Turkey: During a meeting, Michael Evans, President of the Alibaba Group, told Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan that the Chinese ...
NEW YORK: This week, the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reported that U.S. electric vehicle (EV) maker Tesla and Saudi Arabia ...
NEW YORK, New York - Interest rates could stay higher for longer, but there is the possibility of rate cuts ...
STOCKHOLM, Sweden: Days before the Riksbank, Sweden's central bank, is expected to again raise interest rates, the Swedish krona hit ...
DHAKA, Bangladesh - Hundreds of articles purportedly written by independent experts praising Bangladeshi government policies have appeared in national and ...
ARLINGTON, Virginia: This week, the U.S. State Department approved the potential sale of drone-related munitions and other systems to Canada ...
(Photo credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports) In a unanimous vote, the NHL Board of Governors approved the sale of the ...
(Photo credit: Bob Frid-USA TODAY Sports) After pulling off a comeback for the ages Saturday, the B.C. Lions will aim ...
India suspended visa services for Canadian citizens on Thursday and asked Canada to reduce its staffing in India, as tensions ...
Ottawa [Canada], September 22 (ANI): Winnipeg Police Service confirmed the death of gangster Sukhdool Singh Gill in Canada's Winnipeg, saying ...