The American was later asked on the pitch how she did it. “I’m a pretty good player,” Williams replied, smiling into the microphone. “That’s what I do best. I like challenges.” In addition, she can play freely. “I have nothing to prove, nothing to lose,” she said, “it’s fun, I’m enjoying it.”
In the next round, Williams, who showed much more enthusiasm and self-confidence than in the opening match against Danka Kovinic from Montenegro, meets Australia’s Ajla Tomljanovic.
At the hard court tournament at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center, where she won her first Grand Slam title in 1999 at the age of 17, Williams still competes in doubles with her sister Venus. Opponents on Thursday are Lucie Hradecka and Linda Noskova from the Czech Republic. The Williams sisters, who have won 14 Grand Slam tournaments in doubles together, are back together on the pitch for the first time since the 2018 French Open thanks to a wildcard.
No problems for Gauff and Jabeur
A Williams successor may be growing up in 18-year-old Coco Gauff. The highly talented American also advanced to the third round thanks to a two-set win over Romanian Elena-Gabriela Ruse (6:2 7:6).
Wimbledon finalist Ons Jabeur also progressed without any problems. The Tunisian, seeded number five, beat the American Elizabeth Mandlik, daughter of the former Czech and later Australian world-class player Hanna Mandlikova, 7-5 6-2. The third-ranked Greek Maria Sakkari, on the other hand, was eliminated with a 6:3 5:7 5:7 against the Chinese Wang Xiyu.
It was Jabeur’s 40th win of the season. She reached this mark as the second player this year, the other is the Polish world number one Iga Swiatek. The round of 16 is against Shelby Rogers from the USA, 7:5 6:1 winner against Slovakian Viktoria Kuzmova.
Last year’s semi-finalist Sakkari, on the other hand, ended up losing in the second set due to a series of unforced errors. It’s Wang’s first win over a top ten player. On Monday, Stefanos Tsitsipas, Greece’s number one for men, was caught early.
