The Serena Williams farewell tour has rolled on as she won her latest match at the US Open in New York, which will again put off her retirement.
Williams, who has won the event six times, beat second seed Anett Kontaveit of Estonia in three thrilling sets on Wednesday night.
Her latest victory came two days after she beat Danka Kovinic of Montenegro on Monday night as Williams, one of the greatest players of all time, attempts to go out in style.
“I am loving this crowd, it is really fantastic, there is still a little left in me, so we shall see,” she said after the match.
“I’m a pretty good player, this is what I do best and I love rising to the challenge,” she added. “I don’t have anything to lose, anything to prove. It is kind of fun.”
The 40-year-old tennis legend has won 23 Major titles over her illustrious career, one short of the record held by Margaret Court and has said she will “evolve away from tennis” after a 27-year professional career.
She has not won a US Open championship since 2014 – her third in a row.
Williams showed some old magic as she secured victory in front of a partisan Queens crowd, taking the first set 7-6 on a tiebreak.
The match was played in front of Williams’s husband Alexis Ohanian and daughter Olympia, as well as celebrities such as Tiger Woods, actress Zendaya, Anna Wintour and models Bella and Gigi Hadid.
Woods punched the air with emotion and the crowd erupted as she served an ace to take the first set tie break (7-4) in style.
But her opponent roared back in the second set, quietening the crowd and overpowering Williams to take it 6-2, winning it with an ace of her own for emphasis.
Serena won her opening game of the third set and then broke her opponent immediately on the third advantage point, bringing the crowd back to life.
Kontaveit broke back immediately to get it back on serve before Williams again broke her opponent’s serve.
The tennis champion, who has only played six matches this year, rolled back the years hitting a string of big shots to take the final set 6-2, to huge celebrations in the stands.
Venus and Serena Williams will play doubles together at the US Open for the first time since 2014 on Thursday, where they will take on Czech duo Lucie Hradecka and Linda Noskova in the first round of the competition.
Serena will then return to singles action on Friday night.
