US Open: Serena Williams loses to Ajla Tomljanovic in her last game

Serena Williams' dreams of a fairytale finish to her glittering career were left in ruins on Friday.

[{"selector":"#anim-4cc2c78d-a71c-4913-ad79-034c4eb67dc3","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":0,"duration":2000,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.4, 0.4, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}]

The tennis icon was sent crashing out of the US Open by Australia's Ajla Tomljanovic.

[{"selector":"#anim-9949b009-6533-4543-bdb6-1460fca53bf2","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":0,"duration":2000,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.4, 0.4, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}]

The 40-year-old Williams was beaten 7-5, 6-7 (4/7) 6-1 by Tomljanovic in a gruelling 3-hour 5-minute battle.

[{"selector":"#anim-948358a9-0dbc-49a3-9440-3c9fc16a0ba6","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":0,"duration":2000,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.4, 0.4, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}]

Williams poured everything into one last stand in front of a ferociously partisan crowd at the Arthur Ashe Stadium.

[{"selector":"#anim-9d413417-308f-483c-b84c-dcc07b2d5ae1","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":0,"duration":2000,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.4, 0.4, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}]

But the veteran wilted visibly in the decisive third set, wearied by the demands of a heroic second set display that saw her level the match in a tie break.

[{"selector":"#anim-8f87e394-8be9-4417-8fa9-5d39e8d7f0af","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":0,"duration":2000,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.4, 0.4, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] Source: NDTV