TORONTO –
Serena Williams looked out over the sold out crowd at Sobeys Stadium, looking for the fan who had just yelled “Serena you are the best!”
“Thanks. I love you all,” Williams said with a mixture of sweat and tears in his eyes, paying tribute to the more than 12,500 spectators who watched their last game in Canada.
Williams lost 2-6, 4-6 to Switzerland’s Belinda Bencic in the second round of the National Bank Open on Wednesday. Williams, who turns 41 this September, announced on Tuesday her intention to retire at the end of this season.
A video tribute to Williams played on the stadium’s video screens before coming out for the warm-up. It included words of thanks and congratulations from world No. 11 Coco Gauff, hockey legend Wayne Gretzky and women’s tennis pioneer Billie Jean King, among others.
Knowing that the second-round match against Bencic, seeded at No. 12, could be Williams’ last in Canada, fans came in droves. There were signs around the stadium with messages like “Thank you, Serena!”, “Canada loves you!” and “We will miss you!”.
“I love playing here. I’ve always loved playing here,” Williams said after her defeat on the pitch. “I wish I could have played better but Belinda played so well today.”
The 23-time Grand Slam champion received three loud ovations before the match even started: when she walked onto the court, when she met with Bencic and the chair umpire before the warm-up, and again when she was officially announced.
“It was just so memorable,” Williams said of the outpouring of love after Vogue magazine published an article announcing her impending retirement.
“As I said in my article, I’m terrible at goodbyes. But goodbye Toronto.”
Fans weren’t the only ones caught up at the moment. Bencic, whose two wins against Williams in her five games both came at the National Bank Open, said she was still intimidated by the American, whom many consider the greatest tennis player of all time.
“It feels like I’m struck by the stars every time I see them, so it’s difficult to play them,” said Bencic. “It’s difficult to put that aside and just focus on the game.
“I don’t know how to play then because I feel a little paralyzed just watching her.”
Williams seemed to be in her classic form early on, scoring the first point of the game with an ace. Despite winning two games early, the American was unable to match 25-year-old Bencic.
The second set was more even, with a 3-3 draw between Bencic and Williams, but the Swiss won two games in a row. Williams served to stay in the game, pumping her fist and screaming to the delight of the partisan crowd as Bencic’s failed return made it 5-4.
Williams hit the ball long at match point, ending the match and her time in Canada. She is expected to officially retire after the US Open, which begins on August 29.
“I think the US Open will be even more special,” said Bencic.
“So good luck to anyone who has to play them,” she added, laughing.
Bianca Andreescu from Mississauga, Ontario is the only remaining Canadian in the women’s singles tournament. With a 6:3, 4:6, 6:3 victory over France’s Alizé Cornet in the last game of the day, she reached the round of 16.
Andreescu won the event in 2019 when it was last held in Toronto with a win over Williams. The Canadian said she loves the energy of her hometown crowd.
“I’ve never played in front of such an audience and it was the same in 2019,” said Andreescu. “Hopefully they can continue like this (throughout the tournament).”
Earlier Wednesday, Leylah Fernandez of Laval, Que., was eliminated from the tournament after a 6-7(4), 6-1 loss to Brazil’s Beatriz Haddad Maia.
Fernandez, the 13th seed in Toronto, was playing in her first tournament after a two-month hiatus to recover from a stress fracture in her right foot, sustained at the French Open.
She and her sister Bianca Fernandez then teamed in the doubles tournament, losing to Andreja Klepač of Slovenia and Alexa Guarachi of Chile 1-6, 2-6.
“It’s a bit difficult today because we just finished with two losses,” said Leylah Fernandez. “I’m just happy that I was finally back in competition and that we not only tested the foot but also the body. The body feels great.
“Obviously not at the level we would like, but at least we know what we need to work on.”
Haddad Maia next meets world no. 1 Iga Swiatek, who advanced to the third round with a 6-1, 6-2 win over Australian qualifier Ajla Tomljanovic.
Swiatek extended her hard-court winning streak to 20 games with a clinical performance, defeating Tomljanovic in just an hour and four minutes.
In other early results, tenth-seeded Gauff defeated Elena Rybakina of Kazakhstan 6-4 6-7(8) 7-6(3). Defending champion Camila Giorgi from Italy defeated Belgium’s Elise Mertens 6:3, 7:5. And seventh seed Jessica Pegula defeated her American compatriot Asia Muhammad 6-2, 7-5.
This report from The Canadian Press was first published on August 10, 2022.