Serena Williams eliminated No. 2 seed Anett Kontaveit 7-6 (4), 2-6, 6-2 in the U.S. Open’s second round Wednesday night, ensuring that the 23-time Grand Slam champion will play at least one more singles match at what being referred to as the last tournament of her illustrious career. Williams announced her impending plans to “evolve” from tennis in a first-person essay in Vogue earlier this month.
The 40-year-old Williams was supported by a loud crowd at a full Arthur Ashe Stadium, hitting serves at up to 119 mph against the 23-year-old Kontaveit. “It’s no rush here, I’m loving this crowd, and it’s really fantastic,” Williams said. “There’s still a little left in me. We’ll see.”
Serena will take the court with her older sister, Venus, on Thursday night in a doubles match before her third-round singles match on Friday. The duo has 14 Grand Slam doubles titles together.
The six-time champion at Flushing Meadows will play Friday for a spot in the fourth round. Her opponent will be 29-year-old Australian Ajla Tomljanović.
Editorial credit: lev radin / Shutterstock.com
