Serena Williams is ‘one of the favourites for US Open title’ after huge Anett Kontaveit win – Mats Wilander
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Updated 01/09/2022 at 09:27 GMT
Eurosport tennis expert and seven-time Grand Slam champion Mats Wilander said he was “stunned” by Serena Williams as she knocked out the No. 2 seed Anett Kontaveit to reach the third round at the US Open. Williams has said she is “evolving” away from tennis, with her outing in New York expected to be her last adventure on the court, but Wilander believes she is a “threat” to anyone.
US Open highlights: Serena thrills home crowd, Medvedev and Kyrgios through
Serena Williams is “now one of the favourites” for the US Open title after her sensational victory over second seed Anett Kontaveit sent her into the third round, according to Eurosport expert Mats Wilander.
Roared on by a raucous crowd on Arthur Ashe Stadium, Williams overcame a second-set blip to come through 7-6(4) 2-6 6-2 under the lights on Wednesday night.
“I have not heard a crowd that loud,” said seven-time major champion Wilander.
“I think a lot of people must be seeing Serena for the first time here.
“She is playing great. She beat the number two player in the world and that’s a ranking that means one of the most consistent players, I am stunned.”
The 40-year-old, who insists she is not yet dreaming of a seventh title in New York, will next face unseeded Australian Ajla Tomljanovic.
Williams has been marooned on 23 Grand Slam titles since winning the 2017 Australian Open, with the American still one short of equalling Margaret Court’s all-time major record.
But Wilander is not ruling out No. 24 and said she is a "threat" after her upturn in form.
“The movement is much better than I ever could’ve expected and the serve is coming back. She is a threat now," he continued.
“I am surprised that she can keep it up but we’ve seen Serena do this at Grand Slam tournaments when she hasn’t had a lot of matches. She wins a match, then two, then the tables flip completely and now she is one of the favourites.
“I think this is a sign that there is more to come, she believes there is more to come. That’s how you win 23 Slams I guess. She internalises the problem in front of her and uses the crowd. She becomes Serena and she has that eye of the tiger – amazing.”
Williams says she no longer has “a big red X” on her back for the first time since her breakthrough win in New York 23 years ago.
“I feel like everything is a bonus,” she said in her post-match press conference.
“It’s that weird mixture of embracing but also staying focused. I just feel like I have had a big red X on my back since I won the US Open in '99.
“It's been there my entire career, because I won my first Grand Slam early in my career.
“But here it's different. I feel like I've already won, figuratively, mentally. It's just pretty awesome the things that I've done.
“I never accept that. I never think about it. So tonight I was just like, ‘Serena, you've already won, just play, be Serena. You're better than this.’ That's what I was able to do.”
While she has refused to use the R-word and dropped hints about playing beyond the US Open, it is widely expected that this tournament will be Williams' last.
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