Tennis fans are spending thousands of dollars to have one final glimpse of Serena Williams in US Open singles action before she retires.
While the 41-year-old remains vague over the exact date of her retirement from the sport she has said this US Open will be her last. The emotion from fans and Williams during her first two matches has translated in ticket prices booming with celebrities including Tiger Woods attending Flushing Meadows to watch her beat second seed Anett Kontaveit in the second round.
The 23-time Grand Slam tournament champion meets Australian Ajla Tomljanovic in her third-round match in the early hours of Saturday and tickets have a maximum price of $11,026 (£9,552).
TickPick is selling tickets for the third round session, which it says Williams will play in, with the cheapest ticket in the Arthur Ashe Stadium priced at $537 (£465) at the back of the top tier of seating. The average third round ticket before Williams advanced was $188 (£162), while third round tickets were available for $52 (£45) before the American announced her US Open participation.
As Williams progresses her dream of claiming a record-equalling 24th grand slam singles title in her final tournament could become a reality and ticket prices will surely increase further.
“It’s no rush here,” Williams said after winning her second round match. “I’m loving this crowd. There’s still a little left in me. We’ll see. I’m a pretty good player, this is what I do best. I love a challenge and I’m rising to the challenge."
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The clammer to watch Williams in her final US Open appearance increased after she impressed in her first round victory over Montenegrin Danka Kovinić 6-3,6-3
After her first round win Williams added: "The more tournaments I play, I feel like the more I can belong out there. That's a tough feeling to have, and to leave knowing, the more you do it, the more you can shine."
