Jordan Pickford enjoyed putting on a goalkeeping masterclass as Liverpool and Everton finished goalless in a gripping Merseyside derby.

The Premier League tussle at Goodison Park saw Pickford make eight saves, most of them stunning efforts, to keep Liverpool blank on the scoresheet.

His final stop came deep into stoppage time as Mohamed Salah set his aim on the bottom-right corner, with the faintest of touches from Pickford perhaps proving the difference between the ball sneaking in and striking the post, as it did.

As the ball bounced away, Pickford knew his efforts had been instrumental in ensuring local bragging rights were shared.

Asked whether he got a fingertip to that strike, Pickford told BT Sport: "Of course I did! It was one of them. I think I had a good game today, helping the lads.

"You need loads of leaders on the pitch and I think you can see that with the spirit we've got that. We didn't get three points but we got a draw and we keep building now."

His eight saves ranks as the most Pickford has made in a Premier League game while keeping a clean sheet, whether for Everton or his previous club, Sunderland.

The England goalkeeper was almost matched by Liverpool shot-stopper Alisson, who pulled off four saves, including a crucial stop to deny Everton new boy Neal Maupay.

Liverpool hit the woodwork three times in all, with Pickford turning a shot from Darwin Nunez against the bar and Luis Diaz sending a thumping drive against the right post.

Asked about the goalkeeping show, Pickford said: "It was good, yeah. Alisson made some wonderful saves as well – that's our job, help the team when they need it and it's my first clean sheet of the season, another building block for us as a team to get better."

Everton thought they had found a goal midway through the second half when Conor Coady tapped in after Maupay sent the ball across the six-yard box, but the defender had strayed narrowly offside.

"Very unfortunate [to have a] goal disallowed, you can see it was very tight," Pickford said. "I think we're just building, we've got that character now as a team and that team spirit, it's pushing us on. We haven't got a win on the board yet, but we've been hard to beat."

Everton have drawn four consecutive Premier League games for the first time since a run from October into November in 2012, which contained a 2-2 draw against Liverpool.

Liverpool, meanwhile, remain unbeaten in their last 12 Premier League away games against Everton (W3 D9) since a 2-0 loss in October 2010. 

The derby honours are often shared, and Pickford said of Everton's progress under Frank Lampard: "Four points, four draws, hard work, commitment, we'll keep building, get stronger and get the wins."

Matteo Berrettini outlined his desire to see Roger Federer return to the court as he compared the 20-time grand slam champion to retiring legend Serena Williams.

Federer has not played competitively since losing to Hubert Hurkacz in the Wimbledon quarter-finals last year, and has since undergone his third knee surgery in two years.

But the 41-year-old is hopeful of returning to the court for this month's Laver Cup, where he is set to team up with Rafael Nadal, Andy Murray and Novak Djokovic for Team Europe.

Federer recently shared an encouraging video of a practice session on social media after stepping up his rehabilitation. 

With tennis set to lose one legend after Williams' final US Open campaign was ended by Ajla Tomljanovic on Friday, the return of Federer would represent a major boost for the sport.

Speaking after beating Murray in the third round at Flushing Meadows, Berrettini said: "I think I said it so many times. Probably it's never going to be enough. One of the reasons why I'm here now is Roger. 

"He was my idol when I was growing up. I was cheering for him, so I want him back really badly.

"He's just like Serena, I guess, one of a kind, you know?

"I wish him a really speedy recovery in whatever he's doing to come back. I wish I could play one more time against him."

Berrettini has lost each of his two tour-level matches against Federer, including a straight-sets defeat at Wimbledon in 2019.

Jordan Pickford frustrated Liverpool with a stunning goalkeeping performance in an absorbing 0-0 draw with Everton at Goodison Park.

The England number one made a string of excellent saves, while opposite number Alisson also had to be sharp to prevent a home win in a Merseyside derby that could have been flooded with goals.

Both sides rattled the frame of the goal in the first half, Everton through Tom Davies before Liverpool's Darwin Nunez and Luis Diaz followed suit, while Mohamed Salah was also denied by the woodwork late on.

Chances flowed in an open game, and Everton thought they had snatched the lead midway through the second half when former Liverpool academy player Conor Coady touched in Neal Maupay's cross, only to be denied when a VAR checked showed he was inches offside.

Liverpool goalkeeper Alisson made a smart early save to gather Anthony Gordon's fizzing strike after an Everton corner was only half-cleared, and the hosts came within a whisker of the opener when Davies smacked a shot from 12 yards against the left post.

Jurgen Klopp's visitors showed their threat before the break, though, when Nunez's excellent strike was tipped against the crossbar by Pickford, and from the rebound Diaz crashed a howitzer of a drive against the right post.

Seeking greater control, Klopp withdrew youngster Fabio Carvalho and brought on the experienced Roberto Firmino for the second half, with Liverpool soon asking more questions of Frank Lampard's men.

Nunez saw a volley comfortably gathered by Pickford, then Nathan Patterson went close for the Toffees, as Virgil van Dijk deflected his shot wide.

Amid a determined effort from the Reds to find a breakthrough, Pickford saved from Firmino twice in quick succession, firstly tipping a shot wide before parrying the Brazilian's header from a corner.

The goalkeeper thwarted Fabinho from close range too, before Everton debutant Maupay wasted the biggest chance of the game after a rapid counter-attack, shooting straight at Alisson who made himself big and pulled off the save.

Coady thought he was the hero, but closer examination of his 69th-minute tap-in left Everton deflated, their winless run at home in the league against their city rivals extending to 12 games.

It could have been worse, as Salah, quiet for so much of the game, almost won it in stoppage time, his shot cracking off the foot of the right post.

Ian Foster declared New Zealand were back in contention for the Rugby Championship title after his team atoned for last week's shock defeat to Argentina by crushing the Pumas 53-3 in Hamilton.

Having lost three consecutive home Tests for the first time in their history, the All Blacks were under huge pressure to secure a second win of the campaign on Saturday, and they responded in emphatic fashion.

New Zealand restricted their opponents to no tries for the first time this year before blitzing the Pumas in the second half, with Jordie Barrett, Ardie Savea, Brodie Retallick and Beauden Barrett going over after the break to clinch a morale-boosting win.

Foster's future has been the subject of considerable speculation recently, but the All Blacks coach is simply concerned with the result's impact on the championship standings.

Asked whether he felt a weight had been lifted from his shoulders, Foster said: "No. It's the life of a coach.

"All we've done is put ourselves back into contention. From a championship [perspective] we've still got plenty to do, so we'll roll our sleeves up and get stuck into our work.

"It's significant in the Rugby Championship, first and foremost. This championship is important for us, and we put ourselves in a bit of a hole last week.

"We had to respond and to walk away with a bonus point and a big points differential in a tight competition at least keeps us in the race.

"I'm just proud of the way we've worked hard to get our game where we want it to be. It hasn't happened at the speed we'd like it to, but we saw signs of that tonight. 

"There is no doubt the team has felt a whole lot of different pressure. I was just proud of the way the guys have hung in there and not got tight under the pressure and played with a bit of ambition."

The All Blacks' dominant success represents just their third Test win of 2022, and prevented Argentina from sealing their first back-to-back victories over their hosts.

Foster was delighted with how his team responded to the criticism coming their way, adding: "It was a big week for us. We had to respond, and I thought we did it in a really ruthless manner.

"There were a lot of questions about putting the same group out again, but I really believe in the direction we're going and am delighted with the response against a pretty enthusiastic Argentina team."

Oscar Piastri described Alpine's attempts to announce him in their 2023 driver line-up as "very upsetting" after motorsport's governing body ruled he could sign for McLaren.

Alpine and McLaren were locked in a battle for the services of the 21-year-old, who was a member of Alpine's junior programme and held reserve status with the team this season.

Both teams were in need of a new driver ahead of the 2023 campaign after Fernando Alonso announced he would be leaving Alpine for Aston Martin, while McLaren agreed an early termination of Daniel Ricciardo's deal.

In August, Alpine announced Piastri as a new driver for next year, only for the Australian to deny he had agreed to take a seat with the team.

Friday's ruling by the FIA's contract recognition board (CRB) left Piastri free to partner Lando Norris for McLaren next year, and he has hit out at Alpine's decision to make what he feels was a "false" announcement regarding his future.

"My decision was made well in advance [of Alonso's departure], which made Alpine's announcement probably even more confusing and upsetting because we had told the team that I wasn't going to continue," Piastri told Formula One's website.

"It was quite upsetting as the announcement was false and it also denied me the opportunity to properly say goodbye to everyone.

"I had been with the team for a bit over two and a half years now, and for the rest of the team to find out I was leaving in that manner was very upsetting.

"I still haven't had the opportunity to say goodbye and it's something I want to do, to show my gratitude to all the men and women at Enstone."

Piastri moved to defend his social media intervention following Alpine's announcement, claiming his decision to speak out was a necessary measure. 

"It [the announcement] was done publicly in front of some members of the team who were oblivious to the situation and I didn't want to cause a scene in front of them. It was the biggest moment of my career and probably my life up to now," he said.

"To have that falsely announced was something my management and I felt we had to correct and there was also potential legal implications if we didn't deny the announcement.

"It was not intended to be pointed or in any way anything more than factual. The last line was quite a strong one, but with the CRB ruling, it shows it was purely a fact."

Regarding his decision to seek an exit from Alpine, Piastri pointed to what he described as a "breakdown in trust" between himself and the team's hierarchy.

"To be completely honest, there was a lack of clarity around my future at the team at Alpine," he said. "They publicly stated they wished to continue with Fernando for at least one or two more years. I respect that.

"But after spending the year out, my hopes were firmly set on an Alpine seat and the lack of clarity and, similarly to Fernando, a bit of a strange feeling in negotiations… it didn't feel like it was the right decision for me [to stay].

"The lack of clarity around my future, and ultimately a breakdown in trust, I felt the very attractive offer of McLaren, and the positive dealings with them thus far were all reasons why I felt McLaren was where I was best off for the future."

Australia missed the chance to move top of the Rugby Championship standings as they were downed 24-8 by South Africa in Sydney.

The Wallabies ran out 25-17 winners against the same opponents last week, having been in control until a late flurry of Springboks tries.

Yet it was South Africa who made a blistering start this time out, and unlike Australia in Adelaide, they never looked likely to surrender control as they claimed a second win of the campaign.

Damian de Allende dived in under the posts inside 10 minutes, presenting Damian Willemse with a simple conversion.

Matt Philip's yellow card compounded Australia's frustration, though having kept South Africa from capitalising on their numerical advantage, the hosts clawed back three points through Noah Lolesio's penalty.

Australia's hard work was undone before half-time, however – debutant Canan Moodie beating Marika Koroibete to Jaden Hendrikse's hanging kick in midfield and charging over for a maiden Test try.

A slick team move, capped off by Franco Mostert, extended South Africa's lead after the restart, and despite Australia mounting some pressure, the 'Boks kept their hosts at arm's length.

Willie le Roux's drop-goal attempt almost nudged the reigning world champions further ahead, but South Africa had their bonus point when Makazole Mapimpi lunged across in the corner.

Mapimpi's try resulted in a mass fracas, with the try scorer subsequently sin-binned for lashing out at Koroibete.

Francois Steyn added the extras with an excellent long-range conversion, and though Australia got a consolation through Pete Samu and Le Roux saw yellow, South Africa had little trouble in seeing out a big win.

Moodie makes his mark

Handed a debut by coach Jacques Nienaber on the right wing, Moodie made the most of his opportunity with an excellent score at the end of the first half.

The athleticism shown by the 19-year-old was outstanding, with Moodie outjumping Koroibete before sprinting off to the line.

Mapimpi loses his cool

South Africa's fourth try came at the culmination of another excellent passing move, with Le Roux's movement particularly outstanding in the build-up.

Mapimpi held off Koroibete's tackle to finish, but could not help pushing out at his opposite number. Had there been more time left to play, his lapse might have allowed Australia back into the contest.

Having snuck into the playoffs last season, the Philadelphia Eagles were one of the NFL's surprise packages in 2021 but will have to shoulder larger expectations heading into 2022.

A 9-8 record from last year presents a solid platform to build upon as the Eagles seek to wrest the NFC East crown from the Dallas Cowboys.

Their heavy playoff defeat to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the Wild Card Round illustrated how far the Eagles were from legitimate contention in 2021.

Philadelphia have made a series of significant moves to put themselves in position to challenge the elite.

Indeed, theirs is a roster that appears among the most complete in the NFL, piling the pressure on both quarterback Jalen Hurts and a well-rounded roster to make the strides that will be anticipated by Eagles fans in one of US sports' most demanding cities.

Can defensive additions pay dividends?

There is obvious room for improvement on Philadelphia's defense following their efforts of last year on that side of the ball.

The Eagles had opponents have a 10-play drive on 38 occasions, with only the Minnesota Vikings, Los Angeles Rams, Seattle Seahawks, Los Angeles Chargers and New York Giants having more, while the percentage of opponents converting on third down and short was the highest in the NFL at 74.2 per cent.

As well as struggling to get off the field on third down, the Eagles also had issues stopping significant plays on first down, with opponents passing for at least four yards 59.4 per cent of the time, again the highest rate in the NFL, while opposing offenses found the endzone on 45 of 74 drives on which Philadelphia allowed them inside the 30-yard line. Only the Las Vegas Raiders (61.2) allowed a touchdown on a higher percentage of such drives than the Eagles (60.8).

Philadelphia focused a lot of energy on improving performance in both of those areas.

The Eagles traded up in the first round of the draft for Georgia defensive tackle Jordan Davis, who at 6ft 6in and 341 pounds put on one of the most remarkable displays of athleticism the Scouting Combine has seen.

Davis will look to be an immediate force against the run and use his massive frame to make life easier for a talented group of pass rushers that now includes hometown hero Haason Reddick, whose 23.5 sacks over the last two seasons are the fifth-most in the NFL.

The addition of Reddick is a significant one to a defense that was eighth in pass rush win rate last year, and the Eagles have also done plenty to boost their chances of slowing down opposing aerial attacks.

By signing James Bradberry to pair with Darius Slay at starting cornerback, the Eagles now have the only two players in the NFL to register at least 15 interceptions and 80 or more pass breakups since 2016.

And their recent trade for C.J Gardner-Johnson gives the Eagles an ultra-versatile safety with the ability to play slot corner at a high level. Gardner-Johnson lost 33 of his 111 man coverage matchups last year, his open percentage allowed of 29.73 on the right side of the league average of 30.89 for corners.

The Eagles were a top-10 defense by yards per play allowed (5.20) in 2021 and their additions should theoretically help address the issues that prevented from faring even better.

However, defensive efficiency is famously volatile. Success is no guarantee despite the raft of impressive additions, and that is why the microscope will predominantly be focused on Hurts and the offense.

Will Philly love Hurts after 2022?

More consistency will be the order of the day for Hurts, despite the Eagles racking up 28.5 points per game between Weeks 8 and 18 as they went 7-3 over the last 10 regular-season games.

In 2021, Hurts' pass completion percentage stood at 64.1 from 449 attempts. Of quarterbacks to have more than 300 passing attempts, only Baker Mayfield (63.9), Trevor Lawrence (63.4) and Zach Wilson (58.4) had a lower figure.

Hurts' well-thrown percentage for 2021 was also below the league average of 78.1 for QBs with a minimum of 100 attempts, but that was in part a product of his aggressiveness. He averaged 9.3 air yards per attempt, fifth among signal-callers with at least 100 passes. Among quarterbacks to meet the 300-throw threshold, his average was only bettered by Russell Wilson (10) and Lamar Jackson (9.7).

The Eagles look to have assembled the talent around Hurts to deliver more stable production.

Philadelphia's marquee move of the offseason was to send a first-round pick to the Tennessee Titans for wide receiver A.J. Brown, who offers Hurts a physically imposing true number one option who excels in creating separation. His burn rate, which measures how often a receiver won his matchup with a defender on plays where he was targeted, of 64 per cent and his burn yards per route average of 4.0 yards was tied for the best among receivers with at least 100 targets (inc. playoffs).

But Hurts won't solely be able to rely on Brown. Though he displayed good chemistry with DeVonta Smith last year, Hurts needs his former Alabama team-mate to step up in terms of defeating coverage. Smith burnt his opponent on 55.7 per cent of his 115 targets. Of receivers to be targeted more than 100 times, only seven had a lower percentage.

Tight end Dallas Goedert was Hurts' most reliable passing game option last year, posting a 77.3 per cent burn rate from 88 targets that was the highest of any player in the position to be targeted on at least 80 occasions.

Yet Hurts was at his most dangerous on the ground in 2021, his 80 carries the most of any quarterback. Sixty of those came on scrambles – a tally only bettered by Patrick Mahomes – with Josh Allen (7.48) and Mahomes (6.27) the only signal-callers with at least 100 attempts and 50 scrambles to average more yards per carry on such runs.

His 29 explosive runs of 10 yards or more were the fourth-most in the NFL and nine more than Eagles running back Miles Sanders, who was second among running backs with at least 100 carries with a yards before contact average of 3.65. Sanders, despite failing to find the endzone in 2021, was also fourth in the league in yards per carry on runs that were disrupted by a defender, putting up 4.17 per attempt.

Playing behind an offensive line that ranked fifth in pass protection win rate and second in run block win rate last year, all the ingredients are there for Hurts to be centre stage in what could be one of the NFL's most dynamic and diverse offenses.

The Eagles will be aided by a schedule that sees them face only five teams that made the playoffs last season, but there are potential potholes on their path to contention in the NFC.

Backup tackle Andre Dillard has already suffered a fractured forearm in a blow to the depth on an O-Line featuring a veteran in Lane Johnson who has consistently dealt with injury issues.

While the Eagles acquired one of the league's more underrated coverage linebackers in Kyzir White, there remain doubts over the spine of the defense, particularly at the safety position.

On paper, the Eagles have almost everything required for a deep playoff run, but rarely are NFL seasons straightforward. A season of defensive regression or further injuries to the trenches could leave the onus firmly on Hurts to elevate those around him.

The overarching question in Philiadelphia is whether Hurts can be their franchise quarteback. Given how impressive the Eagles' roster is, it may take some adversity for the team to get a definitive answer.

Nick Kyrgios believes no other player will be able to emulate the career Serena Williams has enjoyed, after the grand slam great confirmed her retirement.

Williams went down 7-5 6-7 (4-7) 6-1 to Ajla Tomljanovic – Kyrgios' former partner – on Friday in the third round of the US Open.

That brought an end to her playing career, though the 40-year-old suggested she would leave the door open for a potential return.

Kyrgios, who defeated J.J. Wolf to set up a contest with reigning men's champion Daniil Medvedev, is in awe of what Williams has achieved, as he ranked the 23-time grand slam champion alongside Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic.

"She's had a career that I don’t think no one else will emulate," Kyrgios said.

"You've got a couple on the men’s side who are trying to catch her in grand slams, but Nadal, Serena, Federer, Novak, these are once in a generation athletes – I wouldn't even put myself in the same category, ever.

"It's a special moment for her, she played extremely well, she won two matches and nearly got on top [against Tomljanovic], it's a hell of a way to go out.

"I just appreciate what she's done and I'm sure everyone in this building does as well."

After beating Wu Yibing, world number one Medvedev said of Williams: "That was a crazy match, it was close to being three hours.

"It's definitely a pity that she lost. If it's the last match of her career, it was definitely an amazing match and she was really close to winning.

"Ajla played at a great level, it was not easy against the crowd and it was a high-level match."

Williams bows out with the most grand slam wins in the Open Era of any player, male or female.

Daniil Medvedev has described both himself and US Open fourth-round opponent Nick Kyrgios as "electric", but says the pair share more "respect" than friendship.

The world number one will continue his men's single title defence against the Australian in the last 16 at Flushing Meadows after a 6-4 6-2 6-2 Win over China's Wu Yibing.

The pair are set to meet for the fifth time on the ATP Tour, with Kyrgios holding an impressive 3-1 record over the Russian in their previous four encounters, including in the final of the 2019 Citi Open.

But Medvedev defeated the former on home turf at the Australian Open earlier this year, in arguably the biggest clash between the duo.

Speaking ahead of the pair's encounter, Medvedev stressed he does not see the pair as friends, but he has strong admiration for his opponent's game and is impressed at how he has revived his fortunes this year.

"I don't think we are friends," he added. "I feel like we respect each other a lot. We are both quite electric. You never know what's going to happen in the future

"Nick is a little bit different from other tennis players on the court. That's his choice. That's his life. I'm not the one to judge. I feel a lot of respect for him."

Asked if he is surprised at Kyrgios' improved form following a first grand slam final this year at Wimbledon, Medvedev added: "To be honest, yes.

"We all knew that he's capable of doing big things. We always knew on [his] day, he is capable of beating anyone.He [has] proved it many times, against the biggest players in the world."

Kyrgios, meanwhile, is relishing another battle on a big occasion, adding that his attempts to seize victory against the odds of public opinion allow him to "thrive".

"You want to be in those moments," he said. "I want to be playing on the biggest stadiums in the world in front of millions of people broadcasted globally. That's where I want to be. That is why I work hard.

"It makes it even sweeter. I know a lot of people don't want me to succeed. I know a lot of people hate my game, the way I do things, the way I go about it. I always thrive on it. I never want to forget all the things people say.

"I always carry this chip on my shoulder. Win or lose, I'm proud of how far I've come. I think that's where every tennis player wants to be, playing the best players in the world in the best stadiums in the world."

Ajla Tomljanovic explained she just had to block out the noise surrounding Serena Williams in order to progress at the US Open.

Williams' called time on her illustrious career following Friday's 7-5 6-7 (4-7) 6-1 loss to Tomljanovic, though did leave the door open to a possible return.

The 40-year-old had announced her impending retirement last month in Vogue, and before each of the three matches she played at Flushing Meadows, the tournament organisers paid tribute to the 23-time grand slam champion.

Williams had the backing of the crowd against Tomljanovic, who knew she had to cut through the background noise and focus on her game.

"I'd say the biggest thing was just to block out all the noise. At the end of the day I tried to keep it simple," she said.

"It's just another tennis match for me. I'm happy to be in the third round and have a great opportunity to play on Arthur Ashe. It's what I dreamed of when I was a kid. Just not make it bigger than it is because everyone else already made it huge.

"From the first moment I walked on court, I didn't really look around much. I was completely in my own little bubble."

Tomljanovic will face Ludmilla Samsonova in the next round and is already putting her win over Williams to one side.

"It's already kind of in the past. I mean, I'm happy I won, I actually think a little too quickly about the next one! I never feel like I have a problem with that. I have more of an issue chilling out and taking it easy the next day," she said.

Williams did not bow out without a fight, saving five match points in the deciding set before finally falling short.

"I stopped counting after the second [match point]," Tomljanovic said. "You know what, every match point she saved, it was all credit to her. I didn't feel like I did much wrong.

"I had this weird calmness because I felt like if I get broken, I mean, so what? Serena broke me. Wow, I'm just like the next person she broke when she's down 5-1.

"I know she comes up with her best tennis when she's in the most trouble. I didn't feel like I'm choking it away or something. I just kept calm and actually took a page of her book."

New Zealand delivered a blistering response to last week's shock reverse against Argentina as they ran rampant with a 53-3 win in the Rugby Championship.

A much-improved All Blacks side delivered an emphatic performance to keep their hopes of a competition triumph alive as they turned the screw on their rivals, easing the pressure on coach Ian Foster.

For the Pumas, who clawed their way to a maiden away victory against New Zealand last time out in Christchurch, there was no last-gasp rearguard effort to seal another victory, with a sound drubbing on the scoreboard.

But coach Michael Cheika, who will also guide Lebanon in this year's Rugby League World Cup, is still trying to establish them as a genuine threat to the sport's heavyweights ahead of France 2023.

They looked unlikely to claim successive scalps from the first whistle in Hamilton, however, after their hosts raced out to an early lead, steered by fly-half Richie Mo'unga.

An early penalty moments after Argentina knocked on the kick-off settled initial All Blacks nerves, before Ethan de Groot and Caleb Clarke muscled over for sharp tries to stretch the lead inside the first 20 minutes.

Emiliano Boffelli managed to slot over a penalty of his own with half-time approaching, but when Tomas Lavanini was sent to the sin bin on his own try-line, Rieko Ioane made them pay with another try before the break.

An improved Pumas performance after the interval suggested there could have been the chance of another remarkable comeback, but an inability to sustain pressure meant what resistance they had left quickly faded,

That opened the floodgates for a morale-boosting second half showcase from the hosts, with further tries for Jordie Barrett, Ardie Savea, Brodie Retallick and Beauden Barrett racking up a bonus point blitz on the visitors.

With that haul, it means that New Zealand, for all their troubles, sit top of the table, with Australia and South Africa still to play this round – and the All Blacks will fancy their prospects with this result when they make the trip to Melbourne.

Ajla Tomljanovic had conflicting emotions after beating Serena Williams, as she admitted she felt like a "villain".

Williams' called time on her illustrious career following Friday's 7-5 6-7 (4-7) 6-1 loss to the Australian, though did leave the door open to a possible return.

The 23-time grand slam champion did not let it go easy, clawing back five match points before Tomljanovic finally clinched the deciding set.

While Tomljanovic is sad to see Williams go, she could not say she was sad to have won, sealing a place for herself in tennis history in the process.

"No one's going to pronounce my name right," she quipped after it was suggested she would now be the answer to a common trivia question regarding Williams' final opponent.

"That's going to suck. I don't think I've of been part of tennis history [before], so that's pretty cool.

"I do feel a little bit like the villain. Like I said in Cincinnati, I really did want to play Serena before she retired. If I was the loser today I'd probably be really sad. I don't want to say I'm sad, but just conflicted.

"Probably the most conflicted I've ever felt after a win. During the match I was so eager to win. I mean, I wanted to win as much as the next person because I didn't look at her like, 'oh, Serena, her last tournament'. 

"But then when it ended, it almost didn't feel right. When she started talking about her family and everything, I got emotional because I can relate to having a strong bond with your family.

"When she said that she wouldn't be there if it wasn't for them, I relate to that a lot. Just the whole moment after was just tough to handle a little bit."

Asked what Williams meant to her, Tomljanovic replied: "Growing up I didn't really have idols, but Serena and Venus [Williams] were just so good that I looked up to them the most, I'd say.

"What always drew me to them was their bond with their family, like the togetherness. They always spoke about that, like it was so important to them. I can relate to that because I'm very close to my family and I wouldn't be where I am without them.

"From a young age I remember seeing them with their dad and thinking that's kind of like my story a little bit. Just the fact that you don't have to have anything other than supportive family, a dream, and just will and passion and love for the game to make it. Not just make it, but what she's achieved is absolutely incredible.

"I don't know if it's ever going to be repeated while I'm still around. I still have years left in me. I want to dream bigger than I have so far because that's what she embodies."

Williams bows out with the most grand slam titles in the Open Era, though one short of Margaret Court's all-time record of 24.

Tributes have poured in across the sporting world for Serena Williams following her apparent US Open swansong on Friday, though the 23-time grand slam winner has kept the door ajar on a shock return.

The American, widely considered one of the greatest sportspeople of all time, suggested she would step away from top-level tennis following the tournament at Flushing Meadows.

Following a 7-5 6-7 (4-7) 6-1 loss to Australia's Ajla Tomljanovic in the third round, her journey now looks to be over – though the 40-year-old admittted "you never know" when asked about future appearances.

Her likely last dance, however, has prompted an outpouring of glowing tributes from far and wide, with a host of major names paying their respects to an unparalleld career.

15-time major-winning golfer Tiger Woods called her "the greatest on and off the court" while four-time NBA champion LeBron James hailed her as "so dope".