Tyson Fury has conducted another U-turn on his boxing future, announcing his retirement on social media just two days after appearing to confirm plans for a return to the ring.
On Tuesday, Fury revealed he had appointed a new trainer and urged Derek Chisora to accept an offer for a trilogy fight during a series of Instagram posts.
But on his 34th birthday, the WBC heavyweight champion announced plans to exit the sport.
"Massive thanks to everyone who had an input in my career over the years," he wrote on Instagram on Friday.
"After long, hard conversations I've finally decided to walk away and on my 34th birthday I say bon voyage."
Fury originally announced he would leave the sport following a sixth-round knockout of Dillian Whyte at Wembley Stadium in April, and has won 32 of his 33 professional bouts, registering one draw against Deontay Wilder in 2018.
The Philadelphia Phillies will be sweating on the availability of All-Star slugger Kyle Schwarber after he was forced out of Thursday's 3-0 loss to the Miami Marlins due to a mild right calf strain.
The 2021 and 2022 All-Star, who leads the National League (NL) with 34 home runs this season, was pulled out after earning a walk in the fifth inning having experienced tightness throughout the game.
The injury concern comes ahead of the Phillies' series against the NL East-leading New York Mets which begins on Friday.
"I probably won't play [on Friday]," Schwarber told reporters. "I will do as much work as possible and try to get back as quickly as possible.
"I want to be quick as I can but also don't want to do anything that's outrageous to hurt the team and be down an extended amount of time, too.
"It’s something I've been managing. It wasn't anything serious. Today it just got tighter and tighter and tighter, and I just felt like if there was a ball that fell on the field, I wouldn’t be able to serve."
The Phillies currently occupy the second NL Wild Card spot, having won 12 of their past 14 games.
Philadelphia holds a 62-49 record, behind the Atlanta Braves (66-46) in the NL Wild Card race, with the San Diego Padres (63-51) and the Milwaukee Brewers (60-50) next behind them.
Coco Gauff will reach the highest ranking of her career after the 18-year-old defeated world number six Aryna Sabalenka 7-5 4-6 7-6 (7-4) in the third round of the Canadian Open on Thursday.
Gauff, who has never been ranked higher than her current spot of 11th, will overtake Emma Raducanu and likely Daria Kasatkina to move up to ninth when the next rankings are released after prevailing in an exceptionally tight match against her Belarussian opponent.
Incredibly, both Gauff and Sabalenka won exactly 131 points each, posting identical success rates on service points (77-of-131) and return points (54-of-131).
Gauff will be considered one of the favourites in the tournament after world number one Iga Swiatek was sensationally eliminated by Brazil's Beatriz Haddad Maia. Swiatek was sloppy, committing nine double faults to just one from her opponent.
Two-time grand slam winner Simona Halep defeated rising Swiss talent Jil Teichmann 6-2 7-5, utilising her dominant first serve to get the job done. Halep converted 82 per cent (32-of-39) of her accurate first serves into points, compared to just 59 per cent (29-of-49) for Teichmann.
World number seven Jessica Pegula had to save a match point on her way to a comeback 3-6 6-0 7-5 win against reigning Canadian Open champion Camila Giorgi, booking her quarter-final clash against Yulia Putintseva after the Kazakhstani beat Alison Riske 6-3 7-5.
Third seed Maria Sakkari went down 1-6 7-6 (11-9) 3-6 against 14th seed Karolina Pliskova, and the Czech will take on China's Qinweng Zheng after she eliminated Canada's last remaining contender Bianca Andreescu 7-5 5-7 6-2.
In the final match of the night, Tokyo Olympics gold medalist Belinda Bencic was incredibly impressive against world number eight Garbine Muguruza, prevailing 6-1 6-3.
Framber Valdez threw seven shutout innings as the Houston Astros moved a half-game ahead of the New York Yankees in the race for top seed in the American League (AL) with a 7-3 win over the Texas Rangers.
Martin Maldonado and Alex Bregman both homered for the Astros as manager Dusty Baker returned to the dugout after missing five games due to COVID-19.
Valdez had eight strikeouts across seven innings, allowing only four singles and a walk, earning his third win.
The result improved the Astros to 72-41, sitting ahead of the slumping Yankees who did not play on Thursday and possess a 71-41 record.
"It was outstanding to be back, especially when you come back with the win and come back with Framber throwing the game that he threw," Baker said.
"He pitched an outstanding game. He's very serious about his work and was very composed."
Surging Orioles slip in Wild Card race
The in-form Baltimore Orioles missed a chance to surge into the AL Wild Card spots after going down 4-3 to the Boston Red Sox.
The O's were off to a 7-1 start in August and looked to preserve that with a three-run sixth-inning to square up the game, before Eric Hosmer's decisive go-ahead RBI double.
With the win, the Red Sox snap a four-game losing streak, while it leaves the O's at 58-53, behind the Tampa Bay Rays (58-52) for the third AL Wild Card spot.
Goldschmidt and Arenado fire but Cards beaten
The battle for top spot in the National League (NL) Central division rages on after the St Louis Cardinals were toppled 8-6 by the Colorado Rockies.
The Rockies piled on six runs in the seventh inning, headlined by back-to-back home runs from Brendan Rodgers and Ryan McMahon, while Paul Goldschmidt had three hits including his 27th home run of the season.
Nolan Arenado also homered for the Cards, who hold a 61-50 record, marginally ahead of the Milwaukee Brewers at 60-50 in the NL Central. The Cards have won eight of their past 10.
The Baltimore Ravens extended the NFL record for longest preseason winning streak with their 21st consecutive victory Thursday night, 23-10 over the visiting Tennessee Titans.
No team has ever been better in the preseason than the Ravens. What exactly that means in the grand scheme of things is open to debate.
Backup Tyler Huntley was 16-for-18 with a touchdown pass and Justin Tucker kicked three field goals for Baltimore, which last season eclipsed the Vince Lombardi-coached Green Bay Packers, who won 19 straight preseason games from 1959-1962. The Ravens last loss an exhibition game on September 3, 2015.
Baltimore’s streak is in no danger of being matched anytime soon, with the Buffalo Bills owning the second-longest active preseason winning streak at eight in a row.
With starter Ryan Tannehill getting the night off for the Titans, rookie quarterback Malik Willis played the entire first half and went 6-of-11 for 107 yards while rushing five times for 38 yards and a touchdown.
The third-round draft pick out of Liberty scored on seven-yard run early in the second quarter. After running towards the right side on a designed sprint-out concept, Willis felt pressure and spun away from danger, slipping between two defenders before reaching the end zone.
Australia's Nick Kyrgios has now won 15 of his past 16 matches after defeating compatriot Alex de Minaur 6-2 6-3 in the third round of the Canadian Open – with his only loss coming in the Wimbledon final against Novak Djokovic.
Fresh off his first singles title since 2019 when he won last week's Washington Open, Kyrgios collected his ninth consecutive victory in impressive fashion, showing no difficulty in navigating his first-ever matchup against his fellow countryman.
He won the first four games of the match, and snatched a break in the first game of the second set to book his quarter-final against Poland's Hubert Hurkacz.
Hurkacz, the eighth seed, had to come back from a set down to defeat Spain's Albert Ramos-Vinolas 6-7 (6-8) 6-2 7-6 (7-3). He struggled with his serve early, with four double faults in the opening frame, but cleaned it up as the match went on, double-faulting only once in the last two sets.
England's top hope Cameron Norrie suffered a disappointing 6-3 6-4 defeat at the hands of world number nine Felix Auger-Aliassime, but Daniel Evans and Jack Draper made it through to fly the flag.
Evans pulled off an upset win to beat 10th seed Taylor Fritz 7-6 (7-5) 1-6 7-5, and 20-year-old Draper was up a set when 17th seed Gael Monfils retired with an injury at 6-2 0-2.
American Tommy Paul claimed another scalp with his 6-4 6-2 victory against 13th seed Marin Cilic, giving him back-to-back wins against top-15 opponents after emerging triumphant against Carlos Alcaraz in the previous round.
In the final match of the day, Pablo Carreno-Busta beat his third top-30 opponent of the week with a 6-2 6-4 result against Italy's Jannik Sinner, following strong successes against Matteo Berrettini and Holger Rune.
South Korea's Kim Si-woo and American J.J. Spaun are the co-leaders at eight under after one round of the FedEx St. Jude Championship at TPC Southwind.
Being the first round of the FedEx Cup Playoffs, the field is made up of the top-125 from this season's FedEx Cup standings, minus LIV Golf signees Talor Gooch, Matt Jones and Hudson Swafford, who failed to have their exclusions overturned by a judge earlier this week.
Spaun shot a bogey-free 62 with eight birdies, while Kim posted seven birdies, an eagle and a solitary bogey on the par-three fourth hole.
Speaking on the broadcast after his round, Spaun said he hopes his performance during the playoffs will book his place at The Masters next year.
"It will be nice to punch another ticket there and be able to plan it out and get down Sunday, maybe even Saturday the week before, take my time and enjoy all the little things that come along with that great tradition," he said. "Hopefully keep playing well this week and the next couple weeks, and I'll be there."
In outright third place is Sahith Theegala at seven under, while one further shot back tied for fourth are Austria's Sepp Straka, South Korea's Lee Kyoung-hoon, American J.T. Poston and the red-hot Tony Finau, fresh off back-to-back PGA Tour wins for the first time in his career. Finau has shot no worse than 68 from his past 10 rounds.
The logjam in a tie for eighth at five under includes England's Tyrrell Hatton, Australia's former world number one Jason Day, and Rickie Fowler, who barely squeezed into the final field. Last week's 20-year-old first-time winner Joo-hyung 'Tom' Kim highlights the group at four under, along with Adam Scott.
Many of the serious contenders are at three under, including Cam Smith, Jon Rahm, Viktor Hovland and reigning FedEx Cup champion Patrick Cantlay, and they are one stroke ahead of major winners Matt Fitzpatrick and Shane Lowry at two under.
Jordan Spieth and Rory McIlroy shot even-par 70s, and the pair of Scottie Scheffler and Will Zalatoris have plenty of work to do after finishing at one over.
Scheffler was responsible for arguably the round's most viral moment as he caught a side-eye from playing partner Smith when he walked right in front of the Australian while he was lining up a putt, with many speculating it was an intentional slight due to reports Smith has signed on with LIV Golf for next season.
James O'Connor will start at fly-half, while Rory Arnold and Lalakai Foketi have also been included in the Australia side to face Argentina in the Rugby Championship on Saturday.
O'Connor gets the nod to don the number 10 shirt in the absence of Quade Cooper, who suffered an Achilles injury in the 41-26 win over the Pumas last weekend.
Arnold has recovered from a calf injury and the lock will make his first Wallabies start of the year at Estadio Bicentenario.
Centre Lalakai Foketi has been handed a maiden start by Dave Rennie, partnering Len Ikitau, and prop Taniela Tupo is back in the team in San Juan after Allan Alaalatoa returned home for personal reasons.
Pone Fa'amausili is set to make his debut off the bench, while Irae Simone is also among the replacements.
Australia head coach Rennie said: "After a tough, physical game last week it's great to be able to call on the experience of guys like James and Rory and also see the team's excitement for La and Irae who get to wear the Wallaby gold again on Saturday.
"It's going to be a proud occasion for Pone and his family and it's a testament to him for the hard work and obstacles he's had to overcome to earn his first Test cap."
Australia team: Tom Wright, Jordan Petaia, Len Ikitau, Lalakai Foketi, Marika Koroibete, James O'Connor, Nic White; James Slipper (captain), Folau Fainga’a, Taniela Tupou, Rory Arnold, Darcy Swain, Jed Holloway, Fraser McReight, Rob Valetini.
Replacements: Lachlan Lonergan, Matt Gibbon, Pone Fa'amausili, Nick Frost, Pete Samu, Tate McDermott, Irae Simone, Reece Hodge.
Michigan State and Tom Izzo have agreed to a new five-year, $31 million contract, giving the Hall of Fame men’s basketball coach an annual raise of about $2 million.
The university announced the contract extension on Thursday, pending board approval.
"We greatly appreciate Coach Izzo's commitment to our outstanding university and his competitive drive to keep Spartan basketball as a national powerhouse," university president Samuel Stanley said in a statement.
The MSU Athletics account on Twitter announced Izzo’s new deal using the phrase "Spartan For Life."
"Twelve years ago, Tom Izzo said he would be a Spartan for Life, and today's announcement further demonstrates and renews this commitment," AD Alan Haller said in a statement. "We have worked collaboratively to come up with a contract which benefits the university, coach Izzo and his family."
A 2016 inductee into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, Izzo is entering his 28th year at the helm of Spartan men’s basketball with a career record of 666-267.
Izzo has led Michigan State to eight Final Four appearances, including the 2000 national championship.
The Spartans have participated in NCAA Tournament in a Big Ten-record 24 straight seasons.
"Michigan State has been a home to me and my family for 40 years and I'm ecstatic to sign this contract," Izzo said in the statement.
The NBA has made the historic decision to retire the number six from all franchises' jerseys to honour the legacy of Boston Celtics icon Bill Russell, who passed away on July 31 at 88 years old.
It is the first time in history that a jersey number has been retired league-wide, and in addition, every jersey and every home court in the 2022-23 season will feature a clover-shaped logo bearing the number six.
Russell holds the record for winning the most NBA Championships, collecting 11 rings from 1957 to 1969 while winning five league MVP awards.
Across his career, Russell averaged 15.1 points and 22.5 rebounds per game, and at nearly seven-feet tall while being a world-class high-jumper and sprinter, is considered arguably the sport's greatest ever defensive player.
Since 2009, the NBA Finals MVP award has been named after Russell.
While his competitive achievements place him amongst the greatest to ever lace up a pair of basketball shoes, his off-court legacy is just as significant, as he became one of the faces of the American civil rights movement.
Russell was regularly pictured with Martin Luther King Jr, Muhammad Ali and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar as the public faces of the campaign for civil rights in the United States, and in 2011, then-president Barack Obama awarded Russell the Presidential Medal of Freedom for his accomplishments both on and off the court.
In a statement, NBA commissioner Adam Silver said: "Bill Russell's unparalleled success on the court and pioneering civil rights activism deserves to be honoured in a unique and historic way.
"Permanently retiring his number six across every NBA team ensures that Bill's transcendent career will always be recognised."
In need of help on an offensive line that recently lost one projected starter due to injury, the New York Jets have reportedly agreed to a two-year contract with veteran tackle Duane Brown.
Brown, who earned a fifth career Pro Bowl nod last season with the Seattle Seahawks, can earn up to $22million over the duration of the deal, according to ESPN.
The Jets’ interest in the 14-year veteran increased after expected starting right tackle Mekhi Becton sustained a season-ending knee injury during Monday’s training camp practice. The 2020 first-round pick missed all but one game last season after dislocating his right kneecap in the team’s opener.
Brown, who turns 37 later this month, has been a more durable player over the course of his lengthy career, having played in every game in three of the past four seasons and missing just four over that span. His 203 career starts are the most of any active offensive lineman.
All of those starts have come at left tackle, where Brown could remain if the Jets opt to move starter George Fant back to the right side.
Fant, a team-mate of Brown with the Seahawks in 2018, began last season as the Jets’ right tackle before switching positions following Becton’s injury. The Jets decided to keep the six-year veteran at left tackle this offseason while moving Becton to the right side.
Brown broke into the NFL as a first-round pick of Houston in 2008 and earned first team All-Pro honours with the Texans in 2012. He spent nine-plus seasons in Houston before being traded to Seattle during the 2017 campaign following a contract dispute.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers coach Todd Bowles announced Thursday that quarterback Tom Brady has temporarily left training camp to "deal with some personal things" and is expected to return following the team’s second preseason game on August 20th.
Bowles told reporters Brady's absence was planned prior to training camp and will not affect the seven-time Super Bowl champion's availability for Tampa Bay's season opener at Dallas on September 11th.
"This is something we talked about before training camp started," Bowles said. "We allotted this time because [Brady] wanted to get in and get chemistry with the guys and go through two weeks of training camp."
Brady, who turned 45 last week, is entering his 23rd NFL season after re-signing with the Buccaneers in March following a 40-day retirement after the 2021 campaign.
The legendary quarterback was not slated to play in Saturday's preseason opener against Miami or the Bucs' game at Tennessee the following week. Veteran Blaine Gabbert and 2021 second-round pick Kyle Trask are expected to receive the majority of practice reps during Brady’s absence.
"Knowing he wasn’t going to play the first two games, he didn't want to take away reps from Blaine and Kyle, as well as [Ryan Griffin], as far as going into these next two games," Bowles said.
Bowles added that he wasn’t concerned about the missed practice time impacting Brady's preparation for the regular season, or any effects his departure may have on Tampa Bay's offence.
"Obviously, there's always going to be doubt, but I have a pretty high level of confidence, yes," he stated.
James White, a member of three Super Bowl champion teams with the New England Patriots, announced his retirement after eight NFL seasons Thursday.
White, who set a Super Bowl record with 14 receptions and scored the winning touchdown in New England’s memorable overtime victory over the Atlanta Falcons in Super Bowl 51, has been battling a hip injury that limited him to three games in 2021. The veteran running back has been on the physically unable to perform list during training camp.
The 30-year-old spent his entire career with New England after being selected in the fourth round of the 2014 draft.
"It has been an honour to represent my family, my teammates and the people of New England as a Patriot!," White wrote in an Instagram post.
"Thank you to [team owner] Mr. [Robert] Kraft, Coach [Bill] Belichick and the entire Patriots organisation for giving me the opportunity to live out my childhood dream. To be able to play my entire career with one franchise, in front of the best fans in the NFL, has been a tremendous blessing and honour.
"To say that Foxboro will always hold a place in my heart is an understatement. It's been the most significant chapter of my adulthood; my kids were born here; it’s the place we know best as adults and where I have grown and created my family."
White established himself as one of the NFL's top pass-catching running backs during his time in New England and further cemented himself in the franchise’s lore with his performance in the 2016 season title game. The Wisconsin product totalled 110 yards on 14 receptions and tied a Super Bowl record with three touchdowns to help the Patriots overcome a 28-3 deficit and defeat the Falcons 34-28 in the only Super Bowl decided in overtime.
White later set franchise season records for receptions (87) and receiving yards (751) for a running back in 2018, the season the Patriots capped with a win over the Los Angeles Rams for their sixth Super Bowl win under coach Bill Belichick and quarterback Tom Brady.
The Patriots named White to their All-Dynasty Team in 2020 as well as their All-2010s team. He ends his career eighth in franchise history in receptions (381) while recording 3,278 receiving yards, 1,278 rushing yards and 36 total touchdowns in 95 career regular-season games.
"James defines the term consummate professional," Belichick said in a statement. "His dependability, consistency, unselfishness and performance under pressure are elite. Combining great intelligence, quickness and elusiveness, James was a perfect fit for our pass offence.
"While soft spoken, he brought exceptional leadership and competitive toughness to the team. He was a multi-year team captain and one of the most respected, best team players I have ever coached."
The Patriots re-signed White to a two-year, $5 million contract in March, though only $500,000 of that amount was guaranteed.
Beauden Barrett will drop to the bench for New Zealand's tussle with South Africa on Saturday, with Richie Mo'unga brought in at fly-half as one of four changes made by under-pressure All Blacks head coach Ian Foster.
New Zealand fell to a 26-10 defeat to the Springboks in their opening match of the Rugby Championship last weekend, recording three consecutive Test defeats for the first time since a run of five without victory in 1998.
Having also overseen a first home series defeat to Ireland, Foster has come under increasing scrutiny after the All Blacks slumped to an all-time low of fifth in the world rankings.
New Zealand have suffered five defeats in their past six Tests, but Foster vowed to fight on after the defeat to South Africa, and will rely on Mo'unga to provide creativity in Johannesburg.
Barrett was passed fit to play despite being involved in a heavy collision with Kurt-Lee Arendese in the Rugby Championship opener, but Foster has handed Mo'unga his first start of the year at number 10.
New Zealand's other changes come in the forward line, with Props Ethan de Groot and Tyrel Lomax, as well as flanker Shannon Frizell, all introduced.
There has been speculation that a defeat at Ellis Park would end Foster's thee-year tenure, but he remains upbeat.
"Belief and confidence remain high in our group, which is working incredibly hard this week," Foster said.
"Playing at Ellis Park is always a special occasion for any All Black team, and this weekend will be no different. Adding to that, the Freedom Cup is on the line, which makes this a challenge that everyone is looking forward to."
Mo'unga insists New Zealand are shutting out criticism of their performances.
He said: "They [the supporters] care about our team and care about our results, but it's also fair of us to not care about what they think because we have a role to do, a role to play, and hearing that isn't going to help us at this moment.
"I'm at a stage now if you're not in our squad, I don't really care what you think, with all respect. We're trying our best, and we know it's not good enough for All Blacks standards."
New Zealand team: Jordie Barrett, Will Jordan, Rieko Ioane, David Havili, Caleb Clarke, Richie Mo'unga, Aaron Smith; Ethan de Groot, Samisoni Taukei'aho, Tyrel Lomax, Samuel Whitelock, Scott Barrett, Shanon Frizell, Sam Cane (captain), Ardie Savea.
Replacements: Codie Taylor, George Bower, Fletcher Newell, Tupoi Vaa'I, Akira Ioane, Finlay Christie, Beuden Barrett, Quinn Tupaea.
Former North Queensland Cowboys coach Paul Green, who guided the club to a maiden NRL Premiership, has died suddenly aged 49.
The ex-halfback, who enjoyed a prolific playing career across five different clubs before hanging up his boots and moving into the coaching box, is reported to have been found in his home in Brisbane on Thursday.
Green, who also played for and coached Queensland in State of Origin, was a beloved figure in Townsville, where he led the Cowboys to their greatest heights during a six-and-a-half year spell between 2014 and 2020.
In just his sophomore season, he led them from a third-place regular season finish to a first league crown, defeating rivals Brisbane Broncos in the first all-Queensland Grand Final in a 17-16 thriller.
In addition, he guided them to the 2016 World Club Challenge crown against Leeds Rhinos, and was a two-time NRL Nines winner, in 2014 and 2020.
Green had been out of a position since resigning as Queensland boss last September following a lone series in charge of the Maroons, but had been tipped to return to the sport next year.
Laura Robson has hailed Serena Williams as the "greatest of all time" following the announcement of her retirement.
The 23-time grand slam winner confirmed on Tuesday she would be retiring from the court ahead of the US Open, which is now widely expected to be her final appearance at a major tournament.
Williams, who also boasts 14 doubles victories in grand slam events alongside her sister Venus, bid an emotional farewell to Toronto after her second-round defeat at the Canada Open on Wednesday.
The countdown is now on for the US Open, with fans holding the knowledge that every round could be her final farewell, and Robson believes the retirement decision will not have surprised many.
"It's difficult, because you know that it's coming. And I think everyone has been waiting for this announcement over the last few years," she told Stats Perform.
"But it's still very sad that it's finally here. You know, she has been such a great champion for decades now.
"And I looked up to her growing up, I've got so many memories, watching Serena on TV, I've got my own memories from playing her as well, which is cool.
"I'm just looking forward to being at the US Open, to seeing the atmosphere of her last few matches. And hopefully she goes on a bit of a run, that would just be electric."
Robson believes Williams is comfortably the greatest of all time in the women's game and added there is a strong argument she is the greatest overall in the sport.
"I think on the women's side, there's no doubt for me that Serena is the greatest of all time. You know, to win as many matches and titles and slams and Olympic medals as she has over the last couple of decades," she stated.
"Doing it all while having a child, going through life-threatening illnesses that she had after giving birth. So many injuries as well. So for me, yeah, on the women's side, definitely greatest of all time.
"There's an argument to be made for greatest in tennis in general, but everyone's got their own opinions on that. And yeah, that's an entirely different debate, because it's really, who you're a fan of the most that that comes down to."
Robson, who announced her own retirement in May, also identified with the tough decision Williams has had to make but feels she has played for "as long as possible".
"It sounds like from the Vogue article that she really doesn't want to retire, she's still struggling to come to terms with it," she added.
"But for me, I found as soon as I said it out loud and said it to the world it does make it a lot easier to wrap your head around.
"So, for Serena you know, she's devastated to be stopping I'm sure she would love to keep playing by the sounds of it. She played it as long as possible until her body gave out but she's got other priorities in her life now.
"It's about finding that balance, but it definitely sounds like she's devastated to step away from tennis."
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Serena Williams' decision to begin winding down her tennis career has saddened world number one Iga Swiatek and Belinda Bencic, who defeated the 40-year-old on Wednesday.
Williams announced on Tuesday that she is about to retire, saying "the countdown has begun" as she looks to "move in a different direction".
While the 23-time singles grand slam champion did not put a specific timeline on her remaining days in tennis, her comment about looking for new challenges after "these next few weeks" suggests the US Open – which she has already been included on the entry list for and starts at the end of August – will be her swansong.
That announcement came on the back of Williams' first singles win in 430 days, a defeat of Nuria Parrizas-Diaz at the Canadian Open in Toronto, but she was subsequently eliminated by Bencic on Wednesday, when the reality of her farewell tour set in.
Williams failed to hold back the tears as she said goodbye to the Toronto crowd for the last time as a player, and Bencic herself could not help feeling a little overcome
She said: "It was definitely very special. I think it was more than just the usual tennis match, also just really exciting, and also a little bit overwhelming for me, of course.
"[It's] great, I can be part of her career and her story and this was just really nice and I'm just really appreciative and honoured to play her so many times, and also here in Toronto.
"I mean, she's really the greatest of all time, so it's really exciting. I could have been on the court against her so many times and even today I really enjoyed it a lot. It was sometimes like a pinch me moment again."
Williams finished five different calendar years as the highest-ranked player in the world, a record only Steffi Graf and Martina Navratilova can better.
Swiatek, the current world number one, looks to be the best-placed of the next generation to challenge that achievement, though she recognises a degree of fortune in not having to face Williams at the peak of her powers.
"Well it's always pretty sad when you see such a career coming to an end, but on the other hand she's a legend and I feel like she's done so much," Swiatek added.
"It's really amazing. I'm pretty sad that I wasn't able to play against her and experience that her being the strongest one on tour, but on the other hand, I would be losing against her if I played [her at] that time, so that's fine!
"But she's a legend and everything that she has done on court and off court, she's basically a superstar and the way she handled playing tennis and business and also being a mother, it's mind-blowing. So I'm pretty sure that she's going to have a great second part of her career."
The worrying form of the New York Yankees continued as they were downed the Seattle Mariners 4-3 after Carlos Santana's seventh-inning go-ahead two-run homer on Wednesday.
The Yankees have lost seven of their past eight games and are 2-7 in August, with the skid putting their top seed hopes in the American League in jeopardy.
Sam Haggerty had blasted the Mariners into a 1-0 lead with a solo home run in the sixth inning.
After Tuesday's 1-0 extras' loss to the Mariners, the Yankees actually went scoreless across 19 innings, breaking that run in the seventh inning on Wednesday.
Kyle Higashioka crushed a go-ahead two-run homer to left-center field in the seventh inning, before Aaron Judge added another, his 45th home run of the season, to extend the lead.
But the Mariners, who won the season series against the Yankees for the first time since 2002, fought back through Santana, with his two-run blast being his 11th homer of the season.
Mariners pitcher Robbie Ray played his part, striking out seven batters as well as Seattle moved to 61-52, while the Yankees are 71-41.
Dodgers clinch 10 straight wins
Joey Gallo blasted a three-run homer to help the Los Angeles Dodgers secure their 10th win in a row with an 8-5 triumph over the Minnesota Twins.
The Dodgers were trailing 4-2 in the fifth inning but rallied back with Chris Taylor homering the go-ahead run. Gallo, who was traded to the Dodgers from the Yankees last month, came up with his 13th home run of the season in the seventh inning.
The 10-game win streak is the Dodgers' longest since they won 11 in a row in July 2017, while they swept the four-game series against the Twins with a 32-10 run record.
Lindor stars as Mets winning run continues
The New York Mets extended their run of wins by three or more runs to six with a 10-2 victory over the Cincinnati Reds fueled by Francisco Lindor again.
The shortstop helped the Mets clinch a series sweep with a second-inning two-run single, opening up a 4-0 lead and making franchise history.
Lindor, who finished with three runs, two hits and two RBIs, moved to 81 RBIs for the season, tying with Jose Reyes in 2006 for a Mets' single-season record.
The Serena Williams' farewell tour in Toronto is over after she was knocked out of the Canadian Open 6-2 6-4 by 12th seed Belinda Bencic on Wednesday.
Williams, playing for the first time since declaring on Tuesday her intention to retire after this month's US Open, was no match for Tokyo Olympics gold medalist Bencic.
The 23-time major winner was unable to claim back-to-back WTA singles wins for the first time since last year's French Open, having defeated Nuria Parrizas-Diaz for her first victory in 430 days on Monday.
Bencic triumphed in one hour and 17 minutes, winning 84.2 per cent of first-serve points and converted five of eight break points throughout the match.
Williams' power was on show with 13 winners, but Bencic was physically more capable and decisively managed 25 winners with only 13 unforced errors.
Elsewhere, 2019 US Open winner and local hope Bianca Andreescu edged Alize Cornet in a see-sawing clash in the evening, winning 6-3 4-6 6-3 in two hours and 26 minutes.
Fourth seed Paula Badosa and fifth seed Ons Jabeur, who was last month's Wimbledon runner-up, were forced to retire due to injury.
Spanish 24-year-old Badosa withdrew against Yulia Putintseva 7-5 1-0 due to muscle cramping, while Zheng Qinwen had a walkover against Jabeur 6-1 2-1 due to abdominal pain.
Top seed Iga Swiatek brushed aside Ajla Tomljanovic 6-1 6-2 in 64 minutes. The win means Swiatek is the first player to win 15 WTA 1000 matches in straight sets in a row since 2009.
Canadian 13th seed Leylah Fernandez also bowed out, going down 7-6 (7-4) 6-1 to Brazil's Beatriz Haddad Maia, who will face Swiatek in the third round.
Second seed Anett Kontaveit lost 6-4 6-4 to Jil Teichmann in one hour and 27 minutes. Teichmann will next face Simona Halep who won in 71 minutes against Zhang Shuai 6-4 6-2.
Sixth seed Aryna Sabalenka got past Sara Sorribes Tormo 6-4 6-3 to set up a third-round meeting with Coco Gauff after she defeated Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina 6-4 6-7 (8-10) 7-6 (7-3) in an epic that lasted two hours and 49 minutes.
Jessica Pegula won 6-2 7-5 over American qualifier Asia Muhammad to progress through to face Camila Giorgi after she knocked off Elise Mertens 7-3 7-5.
Third seed Maria Sakkari triumphed in three sets 6-2 4-6 6-2 over Sloane Stephens and will face Karolina Pliskova next after the Czech beat Amanda Anisimova 6-1 6-1.
Eighth seed Garbine Muguruza won 6-4 6-4 against Kaia Kanepi and Alison Riske toppled 16th seed Jelena Ostapenko 7-6 (7-2) 0-6 7-5.
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