The New York Post e-Edition

Serena ousted in 1st round ahead of Open

By MITCH STACY

MASON, Ohio — The second stop on Serena Williams’ farewell tour was a short one.

The 40-year-old Williams fell to 0-2 in matches since announcing “the countdown has begun” on her career, losing 6-4, 6-0 to U.S. Open champion Emma Raducanu in the Western & Southern Open on Tuesday night.

Williams said last week in a Vogue magazine essay and an Instagram post that her career was winding down, though she did not explicitly say the U.S. Open, which begins Aug. 29 in New York, would be her last tournament.

The Cincinnati event was the second U.S. Open tuneup for Williams, and the next time she takes the court will be at Flushing Meadows. She lost to Belinda Bencic in straight sets last week in Toronto. A day before the announcement, Williams beat Nuria ParrizasDiaz for her first match win since the 2021 French Open.

Williams is a 23-time Grand Slam champion, most recently in 2017 at the Australian Open, when she was pregnant with daughter Olympia. She said wanting to expand her family was a big reason she plans to step away.

Raducanu, ranked No. 19 in the world, was sharp as she dispatched Williams — and quieted the vocally pro-Williams crowd — in 1 hour, 5 minutes.

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