Recently, Serena Williams shocked the entire tennis fraternity with her retirement news. The 23-time Grand Slam champion revealed that the US Open 2022 will be the final tournament of her professional tennis career. The decision came out of nowhere, especially after Williams had recently made a comeback from her hamstring injury.
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The former world number one is in Toronto to participate in the National Bank Open. However, her campaign came to an end after losing against Belinda Bencic of Switzerland in the second round of the tournament. Following her loss, Williams bid an emotional exit in her last match in Canada.
Serena Williams left emotional in her post-match interview
The 40-year-old was emotional during the post-match interview after her second-round defeat as she fondly remembered her memories of playing in Canada. She said, “It was a lot of emotions, obviously. Love playing here. I have always loved playing here. I wish I could’ve played better but Belinda played so well today. It’s been a pretty interesting 24 hours.”
Bidding adieu to Canada, she said, “Its been so memorable, you know. Like I said in my article, I am terrible at goodbyes but goodbye Toronto.”
A standing ovation for the legend @serenawilliams in her final match in Canada 👏#NBO22 pic.twitter.com/TfhBXvCuJB
— Tennis Channel (@TennisChannel) August 11, 2022
During the interview, her daughter, Olympia gave a big round of applause to her champion mother.
Daughter Olympia gives a good round of applause 👏 to mom @serenawilliams after her match. #NBO22 pic.twitter.com/Eou6FOEU3B
— National Bank Open (@NBOtoronto) August 11, 2022
Coming to her second-round match at the National Bank Open, it was always going to be tough for Serena Williams against the 12th seed Belinda Bencic. The latter dominated the match right from the very start and gave Williams little breathing space on the court.
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The Swiss star began the match brightly by winning the first set 6-2. Further, she carried the momentum into the second set, winning it comfortably by a margin of 6-4 to enter the next round. In the pre-quarterfinals, Bencic will take on Spain’s Garbine Muguruza.
Serena’s record in Canada
The American legend has dominated all across the globe and Canada is no exception. She is a three-time champion at the Canadian Open, apart from finishing runner-up twice. Her first title at the tournament came way back in 2001 when she defeated Jennifer Capriati to emerge victorious.
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Serena Williams will next play at the Western and Southern Open in Cincinnati before the US Open.