By Richard Pagliaro | Friday, September 2, 2022
Ajla Tomljanovic beat Serena Williams 7-5, 6-7(4), 6-1 in the 23-time Grand Slam champion's heartfelt and teary farewell to tennis at the US Open.
Photo credit: Al Bello/Getty
NEW YORK—A rocking Arthur Ashe Stadium was a shake shack as Serena Williams made one final spirited stand.
Cheering fans screamed support, pounded on their seats and made the largest Grand Slam stage in the sport vibrate with energy as Williams gamely fought off five match points.
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On this night, Serena Williams closed the curtain on her brilliant career exuding the same fiery intensity she showed for 27 years: As a fierce fighter to the finish.
Ultimately, Ajla Tomljanovic defused a determined Williams, pulled the plug on the party passion of 23,859 raucous Serena fans and advanced to her first US Open fourth round with an inspired 7-5, 6-7(4), 6-1 triumph over one of her tennis heroes.
When Williams' final shot expired in net, the Arthur Ashe Stadium crowd stood as one showering Serena with the love and respect that comes from quarter century of commitment to the cause.
Parting is poignant and Williams broke down in tears a few times thanking family, friends and all of the fans "who ever said Go Serena" the former world No. 1 said.
"Oh, my God. Thank you so much. You guys were amazing today," a tearful Serena told ESPN's Mary Joe Fernandez and the crowd afterward. "I tried. Ajla just played alittle bit better.Thank you, Daddy. I know you're watching.Thanks, Mom.
"Oh, my God.Just I thank everyone that's here, that's been on my sideso many years, decades. Oh, my gosh, literally decades.But it all started with my parents. And they deserveeverything. So I'm really grateful for them.Oh, my God. These are happy tears."
In Williams' support box, older sister Venus Williams wiped away tears from here eyes while her best friend and doubles partner paid tribute to her on the court.
"I wouldn't be Serena if there wasn't Venus, so thank you, Venus. She's the only reason that Serena Williams ever existed," Serena said. "It's been a fun ride. It's been the most incredible ride and journey I've ever been on, I mean, in my life.
"I'm just so grateful to every single person that's ever said, Go,Serena, in their life. I'm just so grateful. Yeah, I mean, you got me here."
Credit Tomljanovic for exuding pure class both during and after a three hour, four-minute epic.
"I'm feeling really sorry because I love Serena just as much as you guys do," Tomljanovic told fans afterward. "What she's done for the sport of tennis is incredible. This is a surreal moment for me.
"I just thought she would beat me so the pressure wasn't on me. So she's Serena I didn't think even until the last point, I knew she's in a good position to win even down 5-1 That's just who she is: she's the greatest of all time period."
Recalling the resilience she showed through a brilliant career Williams spent this night living up the the label of "Battler" she gave herself in her Vogue essay announcing her intention to retire or as she called it her evolution away from the game.
Fittingly, what shapes up as the final match of Serena's career was the longest US Open match of her her life. A full 23 years after Williams knocked off five future Hall of Famers, including back-to-back wins over Lindsay Davenport and Martina Hingis to capture the 1999 US Open at the age of 17, she played with pure passion and purpose in a memorable farewell.
Before a raucous Friday night crowd that included Billie Jean King, Saquon Barkley, Broncos QB Russell Wilson, director and Serena neighbor Spike Lee and singer Seal, Williams and Tomljanovic went toe-to-toe for three pulsating hours.
Prior to the start of the tournament Williams was a 50-to-1 longshot to win the US Open. In the aftermath of her three-set win over world No. 2 Anett Kontaveit, Williams' odds of winning a seventh US Open crown increased to 12 to 1.
The 29-year-old Tomljanovic came out hitting returns deep down the middle to draw the opening break. Williams answered immediately, breaking back at love. Williams went on an eight-point tear holding at love for 2-1 with a 110 mph serve blast.
The lone Aussie woman still standing in the field stood up to both the former No. 1 and the more than 23,000 fans packed inside Arthur Ashe Stadium roaring with every Williams winner and reeling with every miss.
Two differences between this version of Serena we've seen in New York and the one who fell to 2021 US Open champion Emma Raducanu in Cincinnati last month: Williams is moving with more vigor and cracking drives down the line with more command. Firing a forehand down the line, the six-time US Open champion held for 4-3.
A half hour into the match, Williams made her move. Clocking a backhand return down the line, Williams carved out a fine forehand volley setting up her signature smash for triple break point. Leaning into a backhand return, Williams lashed a strike crosscourt, capping her second love break of the evening for 5-3.
Serving for the set, Williams was two points from a one-set lead.
One of the sport's all-time closers stumbled, committing three unforced errors as Tomljanovic broke back in the ninth game. Deadlocked at 30-all in the next game, Williams had a good look at a backhand down the line but sprayed it wide. Tomljanovic threw down a 105 mph serve winner, leveling after 10 games.
Playing with poise and precision, Tomljanovic pumped a forehand down the line for double break point in the 11th game.
The 46th-ranked Aussie had Williams on her backfoot when she flashed a backhand winner down the line for her second straight break and a 6-5 lead.
On her third set point, Tomljanovic launched herself into a flying forehand crosscourt. The strike landed in the corner and Tomljanovic pocketed the 50-minute opener winning the final four games in a row.
Throughout this Flushing Meadows farewell, Williams has shown both vulnerability and adaptability to challenges. Knowing she needed to shorten points, Williams worked her way in and nudged a short-angled volley winner breaking for a 2-0 second-set lead.
An empowered Williams slashed successive aces extending her lead to 3-0 after 64 minutes of play. Charging forward, Williams was in full flight when she walloped a bold backhand swinging volley into the corner breaking again for 4-0 and sending the faithful into a frenzy.
Wimbledon quarterfinalist Tomljanovic stopped her four-game slide getting on the board when Williams shoveled a volley long.
Serving at 2-5, a tough Tomljanovic dug in and denied three set points. An exceedingly tense game escalated more than 10 minutes. Tomljanovic double-faulted to face a fourth set point. She saved it lacing a forehand down the line. Tomljanovic stood up to relentless pressure and a pro-Williams crowd cheering her faults holding off four set points to hold firm.
Lost opportunity may have haunted Williams when she served for the set in the ninth game. Williams could not create closure. She clanked her fifth double fault to donate the break and put the Aussie right back on serve. Exploiting a pair of Williams' forehand errors, Tomljanovic stood tall grinding through a demanding hold to even the set after 10 games.
Stabilizing her serve, Williams threw down her eighth ace and followed with a fierce body serve holding for 6-5. Fans erupted in a collective chant of "Serena! Serena!" before the 12th game.
On this night, Tomljanovic tuned into her own muse and muted fans fighting through a tense hold to force the tiebreaker.
A topsy-turvy tiebreaker saw Williams earn a 4-1 lead before Tomljanovic touched the line twice to level at 4-4.
Staring down her moment of truth, Williams responded with pure champion's heart and resolve. The 40-year-old icon rocketed a 117 mph ace down the middle for 5-4. During the ensuing 20-shot rally, Williams stepped in and slammed a forehand down the line for double set point at 6-4 inspiring an insane crowd eruption from Ashe Stadium fans and thousands more riveted to the action on the big video screens outside the stadium.
Pouncing from a predatory crouch, Williams crunched a forehand return drawing an errant reply to take the second set after two hours, 13 minutes of play.
Sheer will and that searing serve helped Williams withstand the second-set tiebreaker pressure and propelled her to the opening break in the decider. A gritty Tomljanovic broke right back.
Pressured in the fourth game, Williams hit a gutsy forehand drive volley to help her save a second break point. On the third break point, Williams tried hitting the drive volley again but sailed it beyond the baseline giving Tomljanovic the break and a 3-1 lead.
The crowd tried to rouse Williams, but Tomljanovic pressed the mute button holding at 30 to forge a 4-1 lead with a clenched fist toward her box.
When Williams put a running forehand into net to face match point the Arthur Ashe Stadium crowd rose as one celebrating Serena with another ovation. Williams resolved to go down swinging and did exactly that, ripping a swinging volley to save match point.
On Tomljanovic's second match point, Williams clubbed a forehand down the line to deny it. Williams whipped a clean return winner saving a third match point. Firing a forehand approach off the baseline, Williams erased a fourth match point. Drilling a diagonal forehand return Williams saved a fifth match point.
Racing up to a drop shot, Williams made a tremendous lunging backhand volley for a third break point. Tomljanovic refused to crack on this night.
Smacking her third ace down the middle gave Tomljanovic a sixth match point as the game escalated past 14 minutes.
There would be no miracle comeback on this night as Williams netted one final forehand and the crowd briefly went quiet before exploding in extended ovation.
An emotional Williams, put her hand over her heart and waved to fans while the Tina Turner classic "Simply the Best" blared over Arthur Ashe Stadium. Williams, who has said she wants to expand her family and have more children, gave herself a little wiggle room for a future comeback in her post-match press conference confessing "I always did love Australia."
"I always did love Australia, though," Serena said with a smile when asked about a possible comeback. "But yeah, you know what, I've come a long way since last year at Wimbledon. Just not sure if that was my last moment or not.
"Making it a different moment I think is much better. Yeah, and it takes a lot of work to get here. Clearly I'm still capable. It takes a lot more than that. I'm ready to, like, be a mom, explore a different version of Serena."
New York fans serenaded her with a rousing chant of "Serena! Serena!"
Father Richard Williams famously called his daughters "Ghetto Cinderellas" for their remarkable rise from the cracked courts of Compton, California to the top of the world rankings.
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On this night, fans didn't get the fairy-tale finish they came for, but they received something even more powerful: Serena departed the Grand Slam stage fighting as furiously as vintage Serena.
A timeless champion turned back the clock one more time and gave us all a glimpse of why she will reverberate with sports fans all over the world.