Serena Williams has precocious to the 3rd circular of the US Open amid a immense question of enactment for the erstwhile satellite No.1.
Facing No.2 seed, Estonia's Anett Kontaveit, the American turned backmost the timepiece to travel up with large plays erstwhile she needed it to triumph 7-6, 2-6, 6-2.
LIVE UPDATES: US Open 2022 time 3 highlights
READ MORE: Richmond 'blindsided' by Dustin Martin's latest off-field scandal
READ MORE: Huge astonishment successful Australia's T20 World Cup squad
Williams dominated a decisive 3rd acceptable to widen what is astir surely the last tourney of her career.
However, determination were respective moments that could person gone either mode successful the decider but with the vocal New York assemblage down her, she came up big, displaying the benignant of signifier astir fans were accustomed to seeing during her younger years.
Huge roar arsenic Serena clinches archetypal set
Williams had played lone 1 three-set lucifer this season, falling to Harmony Tan astatine Wimbledon successful the archetypal circular aft returning from a one-year absence.
She deed serves astatine up to 190km/h, stayed with Kontaveit during lengthy exchanges of large swings from the baselines and conjured up immoderate of her trademark brilliance astatine the close time.
"I'm not successful immoderate unreserved present (to leave)," Williams said during her on-court interview.
"I'm loving this crowd, and there's inactive a small near successful me. We'll see.
"This is what I bash best, I haven't played galore matches but I person been practicing truly well.
Watch the US Open unrecorded and escaped connected 9Now and each constituent from each lucifer ad-free, unrecorded and connected request connected Stan Sport.
When asked whether she was amazed astatine her play this week, Williams replied: "I'm conscionable Serena, you know?
"I'm conscionable looking astatine it arsenic a bonus, I person thing to beryllium ... I person thing to lose.
"I haven't been capable to play similar this since 1998, I've had an X connected my backmost since 1999.
After pulling retired a choky archetypal set, past faltering a spot successful the second, Williams headed to the locker country for a spot of a interruption earlier the third.
Something had to give, idiosyncratic had to blink.
When they resumed, it was Williams who lifted her level and emerged arsenic the amended player.
Just arsenic she's done, truthful galore times connected truthful galore stages, with truthful overmuch astatine stake.
The six-time champion astatine Flushing Meadows volition play Saturday AEST for a spot successful the 4th round.
Her hostile volition beryllium Aussie Ajla Tomljanovic, who defeated Evgeniya Rodina 1-6, 6-2, 7-5.
Tomljanović broke the 11th crippled of the deciding acceptable to acceptable up triumph successful 2 and a fractional hours.
She needed 2 lucifer points to decorativeness disconnected the job.
With AP
For a regular dose of the champion of the breaking quality and exclusive contented from Wide World of Sports, subscribe to our newsletter by clicking here!
English (US) ·