Serena Williams insisted that she feels “like I’ve already won” the US Open after dramatically extending her iconic career with a never-say-die, three-set victory over world number two Anett Kontaveit on Wednesday.
The 40-year-old, 23-time Grand Slam title winner triumphed 7-6 (7/4), 2-6, 6-2 in front of a raucous, partisan Arthur Ashe Stadium Court crowd to reach the third round of a tournament she has won six times.
Having declared that she was already “evolving away from tennis” after a 27-year career, Williams’ force of will ensured that the retirement party was put on hold for a little longer.
“I just feel like I have had a big red X on my back since I won the US Open in ‘99. It’s been there my entire career, because I won my first Grand Slam early,” said Williams. “But here it’s different. I feel like I’ve already won, figuratively, mentally. It’s just pretty awesome the things that I’ve done.”
Williams first played the US Open in 1998 and won her first major at the tournament a year later when she was just 17.
But this US Open is widely expected to be the last of her career which has brought 73 titles as well as a personal fortune estimated at $250mn.
“There’s no rush,” said Serena on court when reminded that she had declared herself to be in the closing stages of her career. “There’s still a little left in me so we’ll see. I’m a pretty good player. I love a challenge. I’m just Serena, you know. I don’t have anything to prove. I have absolutely nothing to lose.”
On Wednesday, Serena unleashed 11 aces and 38 winners past Kontaveit who cut a forlorn, shellshocked figure at the conclusion of the match.
Williams had arrived at the tournament having played just four matches since last year’s Wimbledon.
Her ranking had slumped to 609.
Without a Grand Slam title since the 2017 Australian Open and frustratingly one major short of Margaret Court’s record of 24, she had admitted that the “countdown” to retirement was on.
Inspired by Tiger Woods
However, she credited golf legend Tiger Woods with helping her rediscover her famed competitive spirit.
Woods was in the stadium to lend his support on Wednesday night.
“He’s one of the reasons I’m here, one of the main reasons I’m still playing. So we talked a lot,” said Williams of 15-time major winner Woods who is fighting his own battle to return to the peak of his powers. “He was really trying to get me motivated, We were like, Okay, we can do this together.
“It was good, because I didn’t know what I wanted to do. I was just lost, so many questions. When you can rely on someone like that, I mean, my goodness, he’s Tiger Woods, it was really helpful to get clarity.”
On Wednesday, Williams arrived on court with the stadium announcer proudly introducing her as “the greatest of all time” while Kontaveit waited patiently at her chair.
Organisers, who laid on a spectacular welcome and post-match celebration for her emotional first round win against Danka Kovinic on Monday, opted for a low-key party this time.
Only a repeat of rapper Queen Latifah’s high-octane tribute to Williams delayed the start.
Kontaveit, whose Grand Slam career has yielded just one quarter-final appearance, dropped the first set on a tiebreak, sealed by Williams on an ace.
The 26-year-old Estonian carved out three breaks in the second set to level the contest with the achievement marked by muted, polite applause. However, Williams was quickly 3-1 up in the decider and claimed victory when Kontaveit was broken to love in the final game.
The Estonian admitted the cauldron-like atmosphere on the biggest court in tennis had been intimidating.
“It was hard. I knew it was coming. It was something I never experienced before,” she said.
Williams next faces Australia’s Ajla Tomljanovic for a place in the last 16 tonight. Before that, however, she will team up with sister Venus in the doubles.
Medvedev storms into third round after cruising past Rinderknech
World number one Daniil Medvedev maintained his strong start to his US Open title defence on Wednesday, dispatching France’s Arthur Rinderknech 6-2 7-5 6-3 in the Arthur Ashe Stadium to reach the third round.
After an inconsistent run-up to Flushing Meadows, Medvedev gained momentum after his straight-sets win over Stefan Kozlov in the first round on Monday and picked up where he left off against Rinderknech.
“In general, I’m happy with my level in the third set,” Medvedev told reporters. “At the end of the match it was getting better and better. “At the same time, a win is the most important. Try to get out as early as possible even if it is pretty late. Looking forward to the next round.”
Medvedev frustrated Rinderknech with his flawless shot placement and pounced on the Frenchman’s serve to keep him pinned back on the baseline, while also saving all three break points he faced as he controlled the contest from the start.
The Russian capitalised on several unforced errors from Rinderknech to easily clinch the opening set and although he faced greater resistance from the world number 58 in the second, he was able to break through and prevent a tiebreak.
Medvedev dictated play with penetrating groundstrokes and got the crucial break in the third set by claiming the fifth game, before racing to victory in two hours and 11 minutes as the clock ticked past midnight in New York.
“It’s not so easy to play when you start at 10pm,” said Medvedev, whose match began after Serena beat Anett Kontaveit in three sets. “I had some experience, so I was ready. I tried to find a way to play my best tennis. That’s for sure what happened in the first set.”
Serena Williams of the US celebrates her win against Estonia’s Anett Kontaveit during their 2022 US Open second-round match at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in New York. (AFP)
