There’s no stopping Serena Williams. The 23-time grand slam singles champion, in what is her last hurrah at the US Open, has delivered another upset, triumphing over World No. 2 Annett Kontaveit to advance to the third round.
Williams put on a masterclass against Kontaveit to come away with a 7-6, 2-6, 6-2 win, and then went on to say she still had more left in the tank. Proving, once again, that she is the ultimate competitor.
“I’m not in any rush here,” Williams after the massively entertaining match. “I’m loving this crowd, and there’s still a little left in me. We’ll see.”
“This is what I do best,” Williams said. “I don’t have anything to prove. I don’t have anything to win. I have nothing to lose.”
Williams also spoke about her love of playing tennis, something she touched on when she announced with a heavy heart she would “evolve” away from tennis after the US Open.
“I’m a pretty good player,” Williams said, with a grin on her face. “I love a challenge and I’m rising to the challenge.
“I’m just Serena, you know?”
Williams performance on Thursday came before she took to the court with her sister, Venus, in a doubles match, in what could be one of the last times the pair play together.
In the first round in New York, she made an unforgettable entrance, adorned in a diamond encrusted skirt and jacket, with diamonds through her hair. Her figure skating inspired dress, also with diamonds, had a 6 layer skirt to represent her six previous wins at the US Open.
In singles, she will now face Australian Ajla Tomljanović on Friday night in New York (Saturday morning AEST). Tomljanović has noted that it will be a significant occasion for her, having idolised Williams since she was a child.