New York: Ajla Tomljanovic had never played on Arthur Ashe Stadium, the heart of Flushing Meadows. But the spotlight at the US Open in the third round was firmly trained on her, and after ending Serena Williams’s career, the Australian’s first words were “I’m sorry”.
The packed stands were there to see the US Open dream run of Serena Williams continue. Instead, Tomljanovic dug deep to triumph in three sets and, with that result, the playing time of one of the sport’s best ever was over.
Two other opponents couldn’t quite deliver the knockout blow on Williams this week. Tomljanovic, 29, however, proved she was up to the task on Friday night by taking the honours after more than three hours on court.
Ajla Tomljanovic.Credit:AP
Tomljanovic, who had never played Williams before, the tournament’s main court, impressed the fans with her poise and her play – she pounded huge forehands but also displayed a deft touch on lobs and played excellent defence against ferocious attacks. Then post-match, when everyone was finished cheering Williams, Tomljanovic impressed with her charm too.
When asked how she stayed so calm during the match, Tomljanovic earned their laughter by deadpanning that there was no pressure because, “I just thought Serena would beat me.”
That was not to be. The 45th-ranked Tomljanovic took the first set by capitalising on Williams’ struggles on her serve (she managed to land just 47 percent of her first serves) and sloppy ground strokes (16 unforced errors compared to nine winners); frequently Tomljanovic seized control of the points by drilling Williams’ second serve near the baseline or into the corners.
“I was extremely nervous beforehand so I was happy that when the match started I felt comfortable and from then on it was instinct,” Tomljanovic said after, adding that she didn’t take the crowd’s passion personally. “I blocked out the noise but I didn’t take it personally. I would be cheering for Serena too if I wasn’t playing her.”
And when Williams sharpened her footwork and focus in the second set, Tomljanovic made adjustments of her own, hitting hard and deep down the middle to take away Williams’ angles – she won the night’s longest rally (21 shots) and she continued to make Williams work hard for every point. That proved crucial when she came back from 5-2 down, including a game where she saved five break points – that game alone last 15 minutes and in all Tomljanovic extended the set by more than half an hour, giving her a tremendous advantage in the final set.
“I know how much I hate playing players who make you work for every point,” Tomljanovic said of that 15-minute game. “It has been a strength for me lately. I just kept believing no reason why I can’t come back.”
But even with the fresher legs, Tomljanovic had to overcome adversity one final time as Williams, with the crowd urging her on, broke serve to start the third set. Again, the Australian didn’t fold and once she broke Williams right back it seemed that reality set in – she was the younger, faster, stronger player, with better footwork and more weapons. And she won the final six games even with an entire stadium cheering on her opponent.
Even though she lost, Williams was also first to have the on court interview and her press conference was standing room only while the winner’s was more sparsely attended.
But Tomljanovic, who acknowledged she was “the villain,” of the night, charmed the press corps too. When she was asked how she felt about this win making her part of tennis history, even as a trivia question, she cracked up the crowd by saying, “No one’s going to pronounce my name right, so that’s going to suck.”
If she keeps on winning big matches here, maybe the tennis world will have to learn.
