Serena Williams continues to amaze.
She came into her match against world No. 2 Anett Kontaveit a heavy underdog; many expected that the final singles match of her tennis career would come Wednesday night at Arthur Ashe Stadium.
Instead, Williams took the first set in a dramatic tiebreaker, dropped the second set and then stormed back to win the third. The 7-6(4), 2-6, 6-2 triumph sent her into the third round of the 2022 US Open.
“It’s no rush here (to leave),” Williams said after the match. “There’s still a little left in me.”
Williams and Kontaveit traded wins in the first set until Williams broke to go up 5-4. Kontaveit broke back and the two again traded wins before going to a tiebreak.
Kontaveit bounced back strongly in the second set, winning the first three games before Williams notched one. While Williams later added a win on one of her service games, Kontaveit easily finished the set to even the match.
The third set was all Williams. She won the opening game and then broke Kontaveit to open up a 2-0 lead. Kontaveit earned a break to make it 2-1, but Williams broke Kontaveit again to move to 3-1. Kontaveit got it to 4-2 before Williams won the final two games.
The 40-year-old Williams looked to be in top form. She finished with 11 aces, she won on her first serve 73 percent of the time, and she took points from Kontaveit on 31 percent of her opponent’s first serves.
She will face unseeded Ajla Tomljanovic of Australia, the world’s No. 46-ranked player, in the third round Friday.
The Sporting News tracked live updates from the second-round match between Williams and Kontaveit. Read below for scores and updates from Wednesday’s action.
Serena Williams vs. Anett Kontaveit score
| Player | 1 | 2 | 3 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Serena Williams | 7 | 2 | 6 |
| Anett Kontaveit | 6 | 6 | 2 |
Serena Williams vs. Anett Kontaveit live updates, highlights from US Open 2022
(All times Eastern)
Set 3
9:44 p.m.: And it’s over. Williams hits a backhand past Kontaveit, and the upset is complete. Williams will move on after eliminating the world No. 2 tennis player.
