Serena Williams is in the final month of her professional tennis career. In an illustrious career spanning around 25 years, the American legend has won accolades all across the globe. Additionally, the 40-year-old has gone on to become one of the greatest players in tennis. Over the years, she has enthralled tennis fans with her audacious displays on the tennis court.
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Recently, she made a comeback in the hope of achieving the last piece of glory. Serena is in search of an elusive 24th Grand Slam title that will see her level Margaret Court’s record. She is currently in Cincinnati to participate in the Western and Southern Open. She had a special guest during her first-round match against Emma Raducanu.
Naomi Osaka witnesses the match between Serena Williams and Emma Raducanu
The Japanese tennis star was present in the stadium to watch Serena take on Emma Raducanu in the Cincinnati thriller. It is Serena’s penultimate tournament before she hangs up her boots after the US Open later this month.
mood: @naomiosaka 🙌#CincyTennis pic.twitter.com/rGywN6j7V2
— wta (@WTA) August 16, 2022
Osaka had just completed her match against Shuai Zhang before attending Serena’s match. She even skipped post-match press conference duties to be at the stadium to witness Serena in action.
Osaka missed press but she's still around – watching Serena. pic.twitter.com/6wGE0RwtUo
— Stephanie Myles (@OpenCourt) August 16, 2022
However, when the camera caught Osaka in an awkward position during the match, she gave a wry look and stopped clapping.
LMAOOOOO NAOMI pic.twitter.com/hTwNpq4ZOh
— Marty (@Svitoflopina) August 17, 2022
Serena didn’t have the best of outings as she went down tamely against Emma Raducanu. The British star was dominant right from the start as she defeated the 23-time Grand Slam champion in straight sets.
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In a match lasting just over an hour, Raducanu got the better of Serena, 6-4 6-0.
Osaka’s campaign in Cincinnati ends
Earlier, the former World Number 1 lost out against her Chinese opponent Shuai Zhang in straight sets 6-4 7-5. It was another disappointing performance by Osaka after her disastrous outing at the National Bank Open in Toronto.
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Osaka will look to come back strongly at the US Open, which starts on August 29. Meanwhile, Zhang will take on Ekaterina Alexandrova in the second round.