By Leobert Julian A. de la Peña
Serena Williams turned back the hands of time after clinching a seat in the third round of the ongoing 2022 US Open.
The tennis living legend is currently on a roll and scored an upset win over world no. 2 Anett Kontaveit of Estonia in three action-packed sets- 7.6, 2.6, 6.2-
After making a public announcement that she will retire from the sport after one last run in the US Open, the American superstar increased her bid for a final Grand Slam title and is one championship away from tying record-holder Margaret Court who had 24 trophies.
Williams bullied the Estonian star from the get-go and showed flashes of her younger self after piling up the points in the baseline game.
Her power and forehand accuracy proved to be too much for Kontaveit and was also consistent with her service possessions after scoring 11 aces in the match.
However, Williams lost some gas in the second set and allowed Kontaveit to gain her offensive rhythm after scoring a service break.
Kontaveit then continued to pour in the attack and varied her offensive selection midway in the set when she decided to mix her baseline and net game.
Despite losing the second set, Williams entered the final frame unfazed and went back to her offensive philosophy in the first set.
Williams courageously dropped forehand bombs after bombs that proved to be effective as Kontaveit found difficulty in matching her power court awareness.
Previously, Williams kicked off her US Open campaign with a huge win over Danka Kovinic in two sweeping sets, 6-3, 6-3.
‘I’m loving this crowd, it’s fantastic, there’s still a little left in me. I love a challenge and rising to the challenge. The last two matches it has really come together. After I lost the second set I thought I had to give my best effort,” said Williams after the match.
