If Serena Williams is looking for some momentum heading into what is expected to be her final U.S. Open in a few weeks, she will have to wait.
Williams — playing her first match since indicating this week she’s in the home stretch of her storied tennis career — fell 6-2, 6-4 to Belinda Bencic in the second round of the WTA’s National Bank Open in Toronto on Wednesday night.
The 23-time Grand Slam champion was undone by shaky serving as Switzerland’s Bencic broke her twice in the first set and once in the second.
“A lot of emotions, obviously,” Williams told spectators after the loss, who offered her encouragement throughout the clear, 75-degree night.
The second-round match at the hard-court tuneup for the U.S. Open came a day after she announced “the countdown has begun” on her playing career, saying she wants to have another child and pursue business interests.
Williams has not stated precisely what her last event will be, but did make it sound as if her final farewell will come at the U.S. Open, which begins Aug. 29 in New York. Williams has won the singles title at Flushing Meadows six times — first in 1999; most recently in 2014 — to go along with seven championships apiece at Wimbledon and the Australian Open, plus three at the French Open.
“It’s been a pretty interesting 24 hours,” Williams said after Wednesday’s match. “I’m terrible at goodbyes,” she added, her hand on her chest, “but goodbye, Toronto!”
Next up on her schedule is the Western & Southern Open in Cincinnati next week, another event that serves as preparation for the year’s last Grand Slam tournament.
The 40-year-old Williams had beat Spain’s Nuria Parrizas Diaz on Monday for her first singles victory since the 2021 French Open, 14 months ago, but couldn’t extend the run in Toronto.
It was revealed on Tuesday that Williams was stepping away from tennis, but she didn’t want to use the word retire.
“I’m here to tell you that I’m evolving away from tennis, toward other things that are important to me,” said Williams in the September issue of Vogue, which made its digital debut this week.
— with AP