There was no fairytale ending for Serena Williams at the US Open. The 23-times major singles champion was eliminated from the tournament she has won six times with a 7-5, 6-7 (4), 6-1 defeat to Ajla Tomljanovic on Friday night before a rollicking crowd of nearly 24,000 at Arthur Ashe Stadium.
Williams, who entered her presumptive farewell event ranked 605th and with one win in nearly 15 months, had rolled back the years in her first week at Flushing Meadows with a series of vintage showings beneath the lights of the world’s biggest tennis stadium.
