- Jonathan Gorico
- BBC Sport
6 hours ago
This was only Serena Williams’ sixth match following an 11-month absence due to an injury at Wimbledon in July 2021.
Serena Williams has shown she has no intention of ending her tennis career without a last gasp, defeating world number two Annette Kontaveit on another fantastic night at the US Open.
Williams, seeded 605, turns 41 next month, won 7-6 (7-4), 2-6, 6-2 to stun the Estonian and knock her out of the tournament.
The American player recently announced her intention to retire following the US Open, and has now reached the third round.
Williams faces Australian player Agla Tomljanovic on Friday.
A few weeks ago, Williams announced that she would “evolve away from” tennis, in an article for fashion magazine Vogue, but admitted following beating Danka Kovinic of Montenegro on Monday that she was vague regarding the schedule for the remainder of her career.
“Nothing is in a hurry, I still have (some grit) inside of me,” Williams said following the victory over Kontaveit, laughing.
With this win, Williams, who has won 23 Grand Slam titles, will extend her career with at least one more round.
Celebrities, including golf star Tiger Woods, actress Zendaya and singer Gladys Knight, were among the enthusiastic audience who came to Arthur Ashe Stadium where Williams gave an impressive performance reminding everyone of what she was doing when she was in her prime.
After a narrow first set, the long-time world number one American suffered a marked decline in fitness at the start of the second set, which Kontaveit won to equalize, but Williams came back strong to win the third set by a wide margin.
In the end, Williams handled the occasion better than her 26-year-old opponent, winning a win that left many overjoyed and celebratory.
“I’m a good player, and that’s what I do best,” said the six-time US Open champion, who first won at Flushing Meadows in 1999. “I love challenges and I rise to the challenge.”
“I didn’t play a lot of matches, but I was training well. Now, things are starting to go well in New York,” she added.
picture released, Getty Images
Golf star Tiger Woods sat between the Williams team and her family, and Williams then said her boyfriend’s motivation was “one of the main reasons” she kept playing.
Was Williams surprised by her level? No, I’m Serena.
There was controversy ahead of the US Open over Williams’ ability to do well.
Williams has played only four times since returning following an 11-month absence due to injury, with her last match losing to British top seed Emma Radocano in Cincinnati.
Prior to that match, Williams had suffered a knee injury, but this time she was in perfect shape, moving well, and looking the same as her younger opponent.
But one factor that can never be questioned is her fervent desire to win and the ability to summon the mental strength needed to overcome adversity.
When asked if she was surprised by her level, the American player replied: “No, I’m just Serena.”
Kontaveit ranks second in the world rankings, but has struggled to live up to that ranking in recent months.
Kontaveit gave an acceptable performance once morest Williams in their first meeting, and said she thought she had “never played a bad game”.
She added, “I think everyone was waiting for a really great match, because Serena is a great champion, and she won all the Grand Slam titles.”
She continued, “She definitely raised her level in the third set. She played amazingly.”
