Serena Williams will look to continue her fairytale US Open run against Australian Ajla Tomljanovic in the third round on September 2.
Williams, in what looms as her final Grand Slam tournament before retirement, took out second seed Anett Kontaveit in three sets to seal her spot in the third round.
The American star is getting plenty of love from fans and playing some of her best tennis again despite a difficult few years on the court.
After beating Kontaveit, Williams’ potential path to another US Open final has become a lot easier and she won’t face another seeded-opponent until the quarter-finals.
But before that, she will have to deal with a tricky Australian opponent in the third round.
Tomljanovic, who reached the Wimbledon quarter-finals in July, is currently ranked 46 in the world and came from a set down against Evgeniya Rodina in her last match to win 1-6 6-2 7-5.
While a player that often flies under the radar, Tomljanovic hasn’t escaped Williams’ attention ahead of their first ever match with the American full of respect for the Aussie’s ability to come back from injuries.
“She’s been playing pretty intense and I’ve been actually watching her matches a lot. I saw her play last week or a week-and-a-half ago,” Williams said when asked about Tomljanovic.
“Yeah, she’s been through a lot of injuries, so I kind of respect that.
“I think it’s going to be a good match. Like I said, I have to be ready for every match.
“I don’t have anything to prove. I don’t have anything to win. I have absolutely nothing to lose. Honestly, I never get to play like this since ’98 really. Literally, I’ve had an X on my back since ’99.
“It’s kind of fun. I really enjoy just coming out and enjoying it. It’s been a long time since I’ve been able to do that.”
SERENA WILLIAMS KEEPS ON WINNING pic.twitter.com/1mwixyVjtw
— US Open Tennis (@usopen) September 1, 2022
Tomljanovic, meanwhile, is relishing the chance to play against an idol and had hoped she’d get the chance to play against Williams before she retired.
“It’s going to be a huge moment no matter the outcome. But no matter the fact that I’ve been a Serena fan since I was a kid, on Friday night I’ll just be a competitor and I’ll try my best to win,” Tomljanovic said.
“It’s a little surreal to me that I made it and played in the same era as her, but I was quite sad before this tournament that I’ve never faced her so far. Could have been a chance I’ll never play her before she retires.
“She’s changed the sport, tennis, but also what she’s done worldwide for women in sports is incredible.
“She’s paved the way for so many, inspired me to go for my dreams.”
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