Tennis: Serena Williams is eliminated in Toronto and celebrated

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Serena Williams thanked the Toronto crowd one last time

Photo: EDUARDO LIMA / EPA

Serena Williams lost the first match after announcing her impending retirement.

The 23-time Grand Slam winner from the USA lost to Olympic champion Belinda Bencic from Switzerland in the second round of the WTA tournament in Toronto 2:6, 4:6 and missed the round of 16.

Williams then said goodbye to the loudly applauding Canadian audience with tears in his eyes.

"I'm terrible at goodbyes," Williams said. "Goodbye, Toronto."

At the beginning of the week, the 40-year-old announced in a guest article for Vogue magazine that the “countdown” was on for her and that she would soon be ending her great career.

Williams may have her last major appearance at the US Open in New York (from August 29).

Before that, there is still a tournament in Cincinnati, for which she also accepted a wildcard.

In Toronto, the top player, who has since fallen out of the world rankings, won her first match in 14 months.

It wasn't until the end of June in Wimbledon that Williams made her comeback after a year's break, but lost dramatically in the first round.

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