1st September, 2022
Serena Williams is not ready to hang her racket yet as she stunned No. 2 seed Anett Kontaveit Wednesday night at the U.S. Open.
The 40 year-old beat the Estonia in dramatic fashion, 7-6(4), 2-6, 6-2, to advance to the third round, watched by many celebrities, including Tiger Woods.
Ranked an unaccustomed No. 605, Williams appeared to be keeping her pursuit of Margaret Court record and her all-time record 24 major titles alive.
The capacity crowd, several of whom were WTA and ATP Tour counterparts hoping to catch (at least) one last glimpse of the future Hall of Famer in action, lent their vociferous backing to the home-Slam favorite.
Their support did not go unnoticed by Williams, who in the September issue of Vogue announced that she would be wrapping up her tennis career in Flushing Meadows, evolving, not retiring, into the next chapter of her life.
Playing the 1,013th match of her storied career in Arthur Ashe Stadium, where she first prevailed as a beaded teenager in 1999, Williams was in vintage form, even as a quadragenarian looking very much like a title-contender.