The 40-year-old tennis icon – who has signalled she plans to retire after the event – drew on all her reserves of resilience and sheer combating spirit to take down Kontaveit with a 7-6 (7/4), 2-6, 6-2 at an electrical Arthur Ashe Stadium.
Serena Williams of the United States reacts after a degree towards Anett Kontaveit of Estonia of their Women’s Singles Second Round match on Day Three of the 2022 US Open at USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center on 31 August 2022 within the Flushing neighborhood of the Queens borough of New York City. Picture: Al Bello/Getty Images/AFP
NEW YORK – Serena Williams roared into the third round of the US Open on Wednesday, overpowering second seed Anett Kontaveit with a battling efficiency to increase her Grand Slam singles profession in dramatic trend.
The 40-year-old tennis icon – who has signalled she plans to retire after the event – drew on all her reserves of resilience and sheer combating spirit to take down Kontaveit with a 7-6 (7/4), 2-6, 6-2 at an electrical Arthur Ashe Stadium.
Kontaveit appeared to have gained the higher hand over the 23-time Grand Slam singles champion after levelling the match at 1-1 with a dominant second set show.
But Williams confirmed her champion’s mentality to yank again momentum within the decider, breaking Kontaveit twice earlier than closing out victory to depart a sell-out crowd that includes the likes of golf famous person Tiger Woods on its toes.
“You know this is what I do best,” a delighted Williams stated after her win.
“I love a challenge and love rising to the challenge. I haven’t played many matches but I’ve been practicing really well and my last few matches it just wasn’t coming together…But the last couple of matches here in New York it’s really come together.”
‘THIS COULD BE IT’
Williams admitted she had feared the worst after she was unable to reply as Kontaveit upped her sport to take the second set.
“I thought ‘Oh my goodness, I’ve got to give my best effort because this could be it,” Williams stated. “I just wanted to keep trying and see what I could do and do my best.”
Williams, who received the primary of her Grand Slam singles titles as a 17-year-old on the US Open in 1999, stated she was now taking part in with no stress with the end line of her outstanding profession in sight.
“I don’t have anything to prove, I don’t have anything to win. I have absolutely nothing to lose,” she stated.
Williams will return to Arthur Ashe on Thursday to participate within the ladies’s doubles, the place she’s going to reunite with elder sister Venus for the primary time since 2018.
Kontaveit in the meantime admitted she had been rattled by a ferociously partisan New York crowd.
“I expected it but it was really hard,” Kontaveit stated. “I knew it was coming. It was something I’d never experienced before.”
Serena’s victory as soon as once more stole the present on day three of the event.
In different ladies’s draw motion on Wednesday, China’s Wang Xiyu upset third seed Maria Sakkari of Greece, successful 3-6, 7-5, 7-5.
The 21-year-old had by no means been previous the second round of a Grand Slam event earlier than, however uncorked 35 winners whereas saving 12 of 17 break factors to safe her win.
Wang, ranked seventy fifth on the earth, has glad recollections of New York, having received the junior US Open title on the venue in 2018.
Elsewhere, Tunisia’s overwhelmed Wimbledon finalist Ons Jabeur sailed into the final 32 with a 7-5, 6-2 win over Elizabeth Mandlik of the United States.
The USA’s Twelfth-seeded Coco Gauff, in the meantime, superior to the third round with a 6-2, 7-6 (7/4) win over unseeded Romanian Elena Gabriela Ruse.
That win units up an all-American showdown between Gauff and twentieth seed Madison Keys, who wanted three units to edge previous Italy’s Camila Giorgi, successful 6-4, 5-7, 7-6 (10/6).
Leylah Fernandez, the 2021 runner-up, exited by the hands of Liudmila Samsonova 6-3, 7-6 (7/3).
MURRAY ADVANCES
In the boys’s draw, defending champion and high seed Daniil Medvedev was dealing with unheralded Frenchman Arthur Rinderknech following Williams’ victory.
A win for Medvedev would arrange a David v Goliath third round assembly with Chinese qualifier Wu Yibing.
Wu grew to become the primary Chinese man in 63 years to win a singles match at a Grand Slam when he knocked thirty first seed Nikoloz Basilashvili out of the event on Monday, and adopted it up on Wednesday with an epic five-set win over fellow qualifier Nuno Borges of Portugal.
The 22-year-old Wu, ranked 174th on the earth, prevailed 6-7 (3/7), 7-6 (7/4), 4-6, 6-4, 6-4.
In different males’s matches, 2012 champion Andy Murray superior to the third round for the primary time in six years with a four-set win over American wildcard Emilio Nava.
The 35-year-old Scot prevailed 5-7, 6-3, 6-1, 6-0 and is delighted at how his injury-prone physique is holding up so far.
“Physically this is the best I’ve felt in the last few years,” stated Murray.
Murray will face world quantity 14 Matteo Berrettini within the subsequent round. The Italian defeated France’s Hugo Grenier 2-6, 6-1, 7-6 (7/4), 7-6 (9/7).
Australia’s Nick Kyrgios in the meantime delivered a usually unstable show in a four-set win over France’s Benjamin Bonzi on Louis Armstrong court docket.
Kyrgios appeared to intention a mouthful of spit within the normal route of his field after which dropped a number of F-bombs at his crew throughout a 7-6 (7/3), 6-4, 4-6, 6-4 victory.
He additionally complained to the umpire that he might odor marijuana smoke within the crowd.