Serena Williams, of America, reacts after defeating Anett Kontaveit, of Estonia, during the second round of the US Open tennis championship, Wednesday, August 31, 2022, in New York.
John Minchillo / AP
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Serena Williams, of America, reacts after defeating Anett Kontaveit, of Estonia, during the second round of the US Open tennis championship, Wednesday, August 31, 2022, in New York.
John Minchillo / AP
NEW YORK – Serena Williams can call it “growing up” or “retired” or whatever she wants. And she might wonder if this US Open is real marks the end of her playing days. Those 23 Grand Slam titles have earned that right.
If she keeps playing like this, who knows how long this breakup will last?
No matter what happens when her trip to Flushing Meadows ends, here’s what’s important to know after Wednesday night: 40-year-old Williams is still here, she still has great tennis, she’s still winning – and, as adoring the audience whose cheers reverberated at Arthur Ashe Stadium again – she’s ready for more.
Williams eliminated 2nd seed Anett Kontaveit 7-6 (4), 2-6, 6-2 in the second round of the US Open to ensure that she would play at least one more singles match in the match she was going to play. She hinted it would be the last tournament of her illustrious career.
“There’s still something in me,” Williams said with a smile during the court interview.
“This is what I do best,” she added. “I love a challenge and I’m up to the challenge.”
Oh, never did she. After beating 80th-ranked Danka Kovinic in consecutive sets on Monday, then taking her 23rd win of her past 25 games against the 1st or 2nd place finisher against Kontaveit on Wednesday, the champion Six-time rival at Flushing Meadows will compete on Friday for a spot in the fourth round.
Her opponent will be Ajla Tomljanovic, the 29-year-old Australian tennis player who is ranked 46th. They have never met.
When asked how she’s doing so far, Williams replied with a hearty laugh: “Well, I’m a pretty good player.”
She hits serves at up to 119 mph, stays with Kontaveit for long periods of time exchanging big serves from the baseline, and evokes some of her trademark brilliance when it is most needed.
After finishing a tight first half, then faltering in the second, Williams headed into the locker room to rest a bit before the third.
Something was given, someone had to blink.
When they resumed, it was Williams who lifted her up and became a better player.
Just as she has done so many times, on so many stages, with so much danger at stake.
“I’m just Serena. After I lost the second set, I thought, ‘Oh my gosh, I should give my best because this could happen,'” Williams said, certainly echoing everyone’s thoughts. People. attention.
“I’m super competitive. Honestly, I just see it as a bonus. I don’t have anything to prove,” she said, which is certainly true. “I’ve never played like this – actually since ’98. I’ve literally had an ‘X’ on my back since 99,” the year she won her first Grand Slam title in the US. Opened at the age of 17.
Serena Williams of the United States, right, greets Anett Kontaveit, of Estonia, after defeating Kontaveit in the second round of the US Open tennis championship.
Seth Wenig / AP
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Serena Williams of the United States, right, greets Anett Kontaveit, of Estonia, after defeating Kontaveit in the second round of the US Open tennis championship.
Seth Wenig / AP
Whatever rust build-up when Williams missed about a year of competition before returning to tour at the end of June at Wimbledon seems to be gone. She lost in the first round at the All England Club to a player outside the top 100 and was 1-3 in 2022 when attending the US Open.
Williams also has doubles. She and her sister, Venus, have won 14 major championships as a team and will begin that event on Thursday night.
Kontaveit, 26, from Estonia, is a powerful smasher in her own right, the style that has been popular on women’s tennis for the past two decades after a pair of brothers from Compton, California, changed the game. .
But there’s one big caveat attached to Kontaveit’s ranking status: She’s never won as many a quarterfinal at any Grand Slam in her 30 career appearances.
So maybe that’s why, like with Kovinic 48 hours earlier, Williams’ opponent was introduced just by her name, and Kontaveit walked out to a standing ovation. Williams, on the other hand, gets her full attention: her video highlights, her multi-praise list, and her shrill growls.
When the players met online to flip a coin and take pictures before the game, Kontaveit looked at Williams with a smile. Williams looked straight back.
The match started with Kontaveit taking the first five points, Williams the next five. And they went, back and forth. Kontaveit’s mistakes were cheered on – even mistakes, prompting umpire Alison Hughes to warn the crowd about making noise between serves.
If anything, Kontaveit gets more acknowledgment from players trying to beat her than anyone else, as Williams will respond to great hits with a nod or a clap.
Williams broke the 5-4 advantage when Kontaveit pushed a long backhand, prompting the screaming audience to get up – and Williams’ husband, Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian, also jumped in, waving at her. , a few rows ahead where Venus and Tiger Woods are two seats apart.
But with an opportunity to serve in that set, Williams quickly lost his way. A missed forehand. A long backhand. A backhand hit the net as she dropped to her knees. A double error made it 5 in all.
They eventually went to a tiebreaker, and at 3-3, a chant of “Let’s go, Serena!” burst with rhythmic applause. Before long, Williams brought in a 101 mph service winner and a 91 mph ace to complete that set. Just like the old days.
As for Kontaveit’s credit, she didn’t rush, not letting the disappointment of dropping that set linger.
Instead, she took a 3-0 lead on the second goal within the next 15 minutes on the strength of 10 winners and made no unwarranted errors.
In the third inning, Williams had the upper hand and it seemed that every point she took was receiving a warm response. After the forehand volley winner swung Williams a match from victory, she raised both hands, then clenched her left hand.
One match, and five minutes later, it’s over – and her stay in the US Open can continue.
