American tennis icon Serena Williams is on the verge of pulling off a major upset at the US Open, clinching the first set of her second-round match against world No. 2 Anett Kontaveit in a tiebreak.
The 40-year-old, competing in the last tournament of her stellar career, is one set away from booking her spot in the third round at Flushing Meadows.
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The adoring home crowd at Arthur Ashe Stadium, which featured a plethora of A-list celebrities, went berserk when Williams broke serve in ninth game to take a 5-4 lead in the opening set with her serve to come.
But the 23-time grand slam champion succumbed to the pressure, double faulting in the following game to gift Kontaveit a break and put the set back on serve.
The atmosphere shifted dramatically when Williams’ second serve went long, with the New York crowd left in stunned silence.
The first set eventually went to a tiebreak and Williams held her nerve to secure the opener with a powerful ace. American golf champion Tiger Woods celebrated with a roar and a clenched fist.
Kontaveit showed her class early in the second set by breaking serve twice and taking a 3-0 lead, but Williams immediately got one on the breaks back to keep herself in the contest.
And the topsy-turvy second set had another twist, with the Estonian breaking serve for a third time to stamp her authority over the match.
Williams seemingly start conserving energy for the decisive set as Kontaveit cruised to a 6-2 victory in the second, getting the job done with an ace.
Williams vs Kontaveit live score: 7-6 2-6
After a glittering 27-year professional career, Williams entered this year’s US Open preparing to bid farewell to tennis at the major tournament where it all began.
The Williams swansong started on Tuesday morning when she claimed a straight sets 6-3 6-4 win over world No. 80 Danka Kovinic in the first round.
Williams said she didn’t expect the tributes and the reaction to her retirement, calling the crowd “crazy”.
“When I step out on the court, I just want to do the best that I can do on that particular day,” she said.
“It’s been such a hard decision (retirement). I think when you’re passionate about something and love something so much, it’s always hard to walk away. Sometimes I think it’s harder to walk away than not and that’s been the case for me.”
Earlier on Thursday, Australia’s Nick Kyrgios sensationally complained to the chair umpire he breathed in marijuana coming from the US Open crowd during his rollercoaster second round win against world No. 50 Benjamin Bonzi.
The 27-year-old was given code violation warning for unsportsmanlike behaviour after swearing towards his player’s box and spitting on the court in their direction.
The disgusting incident occurred when Bonzi secured a break in the fourth set.
“Go home if you’re not going to f***ing support me bro,” Kyrgios shouted towards his player’s box, which included girlfriend Costeen Hatzi.
At the change of ends, Kyrgios was overheard telling the chair umpire: “It was f***ing marajiuana. It was smoke. Obviously I’m not going to complain about food.
“Obviously when athletes are running side to side and they have asthma, it’s probably not ideal.”
The chair umpire responded by making an announcement to the crowd.
“Ladies and gentlemen as a courtesy to the players please refrain yourselves from smoking around the court. Thankyou,” he said.