Ajla Tomljanovic has claimed the best win of her career, ending the glittering career of tennis legend Serena Williams with a tense three-sets in in the third round of the US Open.
The 29-year old Australian came back from a break down in each set to win 7-5, 6-7 (4), 6-1, to reach the fourth round at Flushing Meadows for the first time and continue a career-best season.
Tomljanovic defied the sellout, partisan crowd in Arthur Ashe Stadium in an epic encounter that lasted three hours and five minutes, with the world number 46 finally prevailing on her sixth match point. The last titanic game stretched more than 15 minutes alone.
Williams served for the first set at 5-3 up, was 4-0 then 5-2 to the good in the second and broke Tomljanovic’s serve in the first game of the third, but the 41-year old repeatedly failed to close the deal as the Croatian-born Tomljanovic refused to yield.
Despite some trademark titanic ball-striking – a winner in the second set tie-breaker nearly blew the roof off Arthur Ashe Stadium – the 40-year old champion ran out of legs in the third set as her opponent, who was just two years old when Williams made her professional debut back in 1995, took control.
Williams would save five match points with yet more clutch hitting at 5-1 down, but was unable to take either of her break point chances, a forehand finding the net to end one of sport’s most decorated careers.
Turning 41 in three weeks, Williams announced last month she was “evolving away from tennis” after more than two decades dominating the women’s game.
The American will walk away one major title short of Margaret Court’s all-time record 24 grand slam singles crowns.
Williams, though, remains the holder of the most grand slam singles titles in the 54-year era of professional tennis, having eclipsed Steffi Graf’s 22.
All up, she won six US Open titles, Wimbledon and the Australian Open seven times each and the French Open on three occasions.
Alas, her last slam came while three months pregnant with daughter Olympia at the 2017 Australian Open when Williams beat older sister Venus in the final.
Williams subsequently lost four more grand slam deciders in her obsessive pursuit of Court’s record, all four in straight sets – at Wimbledon and the US Open in both 2018 and 2019.
Tomljanovic had nothing but praise for the vanquished champion after her victory, saying ending Williams’ career was a ‘surreal moment’.
“I’m feeling really sorry just because I love Serena just as much as you guys do. What she’s done for me, for the sport of tennis, is incredible,” Tomljanovic said.
“I never thought I’d have a chance to play her in her last match when I remember watching her in all those finals, so this is a surreal moment for me.
“She’s the greatest of all time. Period.”
Earlier, fellow Aussie Alex de Minaur was unable to explain how he was blown off the court in the first two sets of a 6-1 6-1 3-6 7-6 (7-5) loss to in-form Spaniard Pablo Carreno Busta.
“Look, more than anything I’m just disappointed with my level,” de Minaur told AAP.
“Happy and extremely proud of the fight that I showed considering my level today.
“At times, I found it very hard to make the court at all.
“But I could have easily been into a fifth set right now just due to fighting and my attitude.”
De Minaur indeed threatened a famous fightback after winning the third set and taking the fourth to a tiebreaker.
Carreno Busta, the 12th seed, a two-time US Open semi-finalist and recent winner of the Montreal Masters, gave him hope after taking a medical time-out before the fourth set to have treatment for an apparent adductor or back issue.
The stoppage and gear change initially appeared to do the trick, with Carreno Busta holding serve to love immediately upon the resumption.
De Minaur’s confidence grew, though, and the match seemed headed towards a deciding fifth set before the Spaniard won a remarkable match point.
After being lobbed, Carreno Busta didn’t look a hope of reaching the ball but somehow managed to play a tweener over de Minaur’s head.
De Minaur could only manage to get a frame to the ball before throwing his racquet down in anguish at losing the match.
De Minaur’s best grand slam results have consistently come in New York, with the world No.20 reaching the quarter-finals in 2020, the last the year before and the third round on two other occasions.
But Carreno Busta ultimately had too much firepower on Friday.
The big-hitting Spaniard bludgeoned 36 winners, broke de Minaur five times and dropped serve only once to progress to the fourth round in three hours and 33 minutes.
“Look, honestly, I didn’t even give him a chance to miss. That’s where I see it,” a disgusted de Minaur added.
“I was finding it hard to make a ball in the court and that’s something that I can’t give a reason for. It was just one of those days.
“I’ll just try to put this behind me as quickly as I can and be ready for the next events.”
The 18th seed’s departure leaves Nick Kyrgios as the last Australian remaining in the men’s singles draw, who cruised past American JJ Wolf in three sets in his third-round game.
Kyrgios dispatched Wolf 6-4 6-2 6-3 to set up a likely fourth-round showdown with world No.1 and defending champion Daniil Medvedev.
Kyrgios leads the Russian 3-1 head to head and upstaged the top seed only three weeks ago in Montreal.
If anyone can deny Medvedev back-to-back titles at Flushing Meadows, especially in Novak Djokovic’s absence, it’s the mercurial Kyrgios.
A last-16 clash on Sunday would be worthy of a final, with officials unhappy to lose either of the two big drawcards before the quarter-finals stage.
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