Anett Kontaveit breaks down in tears after US Open loss to Serena Williams

Anett Kontaveit finally cracked.

The No. 2 seed at the US Open left her press conference in tears after an emotional loss to Serena Williams on Wednesday night. Kontaveit dealt with a raucous Arthur Ashe Stadium crowd cheering on Williams, who is leaving the sport after this Grand Slam.

Kontaveit answered questions from the English-speaking press and was gracious in her remarks about the audience and Williams, who pulled off 7-6, 2-6, 6-2 upset. However, when the Estonian got a question in her native tongue, she became overwhelmed.

“I mean, it was hard … it was something I never experienced before,” the 26-year-old said. “I don’t think it’s a personal attack against me or anything. I mean, it’s fair. I definitely had no shame losing to Serena. It was very difficult with the crowd.”

The audience — in their enthusiasm to watch Williams’ final Grand Slam run — often celebrated Kontaveit’s mistakes, including service faults, which is considered crass in the sport.

“I thought I didn’t play a bad match at all,” Kontaveit said earlier in the press conference. “She definitely raised her level in the third set. She played amazing. In the first set she was serving so well in these important moments. I fought really hard, thought I played a decent match. She was better today.

“It was her moment. I was trying to do my own thing. Of course, this is totally about her. I was very aware of that.”

Gunnar Leheste, a reporter for Delfi and Eesti Päevaleht, suggested on Twitter that he was the one who asked the question that led to Kontaveit’s emotional departure.

“I’m sorry. It wasn’t my intention at all,” Leheste wrote in response to Racket’s Ben Rothenberg.

“I was just thanking her for the greatest match that one Estonian can experience via television. She told that she don’t have to be embarrassed by loss against Serena and that the crowd was really hard, and that was it.”

Williams will next face Australian Ajla Tomljanovic in Friday’s third round in front of what will likely be another exuberant Arthur Ashe Stadium audience.