Serena drops second seed outside US Open and chases Federer’s record

American Serena Williams booked her place in the third round of the US Open by beating second-place Estonian Anette Kontaveit in two sets to one on Thursday.

Serena, who is expected to retire at the end of the tournament, showed all her energy and resilience to topple Kontaveit 7-6 (7/4), 2-6, 6-2 in front of a flaming crowd and tumultuous atmosphere in the main stadium” Arthur Ash.

Many expected Serena to be eliminated in the first round, similar to what happened at Wimbledon, or in the second due to her scoring and classification drop to 605, but the 23-time Major champion turned back the clock and reminded everyone who she is. . is.

According to Opta, Serena achieved her 367th Grand Slam win, and only Swiss star Roger Federer surpasses her in terms of player and player wins in the modern era at Grand Slams with 369 wins.

Serena has also won her last 10 matches against world No. 2 at Grand Slams since her last loss to Justine Henin in 2007.

“I don’t think I have any questions,” Serena said about whether the win answered questions about her ability to compete at age 41 in her on-court interview after the match.

Regarding her retirement for at least an extra match, the 6-time US Open champion said: “I’m taking my time, I love these fans, I’m a good player and that’s what I do, I love challenges and rise to them.”

Serena added: “I haven’t played like this since 1998, I have nothing to prove, I have nothing to lose.

Source: AFP

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