US Open 2022: Serena Williams enters third round, beats World No.2 Anett Kontaveit in three sets

Tennis legend Serena Williams continued on her impressive run at the US Open 2022, defeating World No.2 Anett Kontaveit of Estonia in three sets to proceed to the third round.

Serena won 7-6, 2-6, 6-2. The 40-year-old Williams was again buoyed by a loud crowd at a full Arthur Ashe Stadium, just as she was in the first round two days earlier.

She hit serves at up to 119 mph, stayed with Kontaveit during lengthy exchanges of big swings from the baselines and conjured up some of her trademark brilliance when it was needed most.

After pulling out a tight first set, then faltering a bit in the second, Williams headed to the locker room for a bit of a break before the third. When they resumed, it was Williams who lifted her level and emerged as the better player.

Just as she’s done so many times, on so many stages, with so much at stake.

“I’m just Serena. After I lost the second set, I thought, ‘Oh, my goodness, I better give my best effort because this could be it,’” Williams said after the game, surely echoing the thoughts of every one of the people paying any attention.

“I’m super competitive. Honestly, I’m just looking at it as a bonus. I don’t have anything to prove,” she said, which certainly is true. “I never get to play like this — since ’98, really. Literally, I’ve had an ‘X’ on my back since ’99,” the year she claimed her first Grand Slam title at the U.S. Open at age 17.

The six-time champion at Flushing Meadows will play Friday for a spot in the fourth round. Her opponent will be Ajla Tomljanovic, a 29-year-old Australian.