NEW YORK — Serena Williams’ trailblazing tennis career ended with one last blast of fire on a cool Friday night at the US Open, the setting of her first major triumph in 1999.
Williams, who has strongly indicated she’s ready to move away from competition to spend more time with her family and her business ventures, fought back several times against Australian Ajla Tomljanovic on Friday and won a dramatic tiebreak to take the second set, but Tomljanovic prevailed, 7-5, 6-7 (4), 6-1. That sent Williams off to continue her evolution, a term she prefers to “retirement.”
Williams, who did well to shake off the rust of a year’s absence because of injury and reach the third round of the tournament she had won six times while capturing 23 Grand Slam singles titles, appeared to be on the verge of tears when Tomljanovic served for the match at 5-1. Williams saved five match points, but that merely postponed the inevitable.
