Serena Williams turned back the clock in fantastic fashion to beat World No. 2 Anett Kontaveit at the final event of her career—the 2022 US Open.
Williams announced recently that the 2022 US Open will be her final career event. The American returned earlier this year for the Wimbledon Championships, where she played well but not well enough to make a deep run.
She has since played a couple more events with similar results but turned back the clock in New York, beating Kontaveit in what was by far the best match she’s played since announcing her retirement.
Williams is hoping for a swan song ending at the US Open, and the American player could certainly do some damage, given her legendary status and history at Flushing Meadows.
Despite beating Danka Kovinic in the first round, the 23-time Grand Slam champion wasn't the favorite in the second-round match against Kontaveit. But Serena Williams once again showed why she's the greatest player in the history of women's tennis.
She showed it against the World No. 2 player, who couldn’t really handle the moment. While generally really strong mentally, Kontaveit struggled under the massive pressure from Williams and the crowd.
The crowd was heavily supporting their player during the entire match as Williams was giving them what they wanted. The first set was a close one, as the players had to decide it in a tie-break. Williams proved better, taking it 7-4.
However, her opponent dominated the second set when she hit 13 winners and only 3 unforced errors, and in 36 minutes, she won the set 6-2 to force a decider. For a brief moment, it seemed like she would be able to turn around the match.
Ultimately, she didn’t, as Williams bounced back. The 40-year-old American showed her experience in the third set. Williams hit 14 winners while she allowed her opponent to hit only 3 and won the set 6-2 to set up a third-round clash with Ajla Tomljanovic with a chance to possibly advance to the fourth round of the New York Slam.
It won’t be an easy match, but if she keeps playing like this, the 40-year-old will have a chance.