Germany's Andrea Petkovic was overcome with emotion after her tennis career effectively ended on Tuesday in a 6-2, 4-6, 6-4 defeat against Swiss Olympic champion Belinda Bencic at the US Open.

Former top 10 player and French Open semi-finalist Petkovic had announced last week that the New York grand slam would be her swansong, although she may appear once more at a smaller event in Europe to give friends and family a final chance to see her play. "I was really devastated over the last five days," Petkovic said after the first-round defeat, admitting to "pure sadness." Petkovic said she initially wanted to announce her retirement a few weeks ago but that this plan ended when American icon Serena Williams said in Vogue magazine that the US Open would be her finale.

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