Serena Williams beats Greece’s Maria Sakkari to enter US Open’s Grand Slam quarter-finals in a match between 2 hours and 28 minutes.
Serena Williams, 23 times Grand Slam champion, once again made her way into the Grand Slam’s quarter-finals by winning a tensed match against Greece’s Maria Sakkari 6-3 6-7(6) 6-3.
Sakkari had beaten Williams last month at the Western Southern Open in New York. Williams overcame an 0-2 deficit in the final set, improving her services and service returns when she relied on the services. She closed the match after playing a long rally.
Serena Williams’ comparison to the last match with Sakkari
“I thought about (the last match) but ever so little because it’s a completely different match. It was a different scenario and a completely different moment. So I just kept fighting. She was doing so well, she was so aggressive, and I knew that I needed to do the same thing,” quoted the tennis star in her interview after finishing the match.
Three wins away from 24th Grand Slam win
After winning the quarter-finals, Serena needs to conquer three more matches to win the Grand Slam again, making it the 24th Grand Slam win. As reported by Forbes, Serena became the third American woman into the quarter-finals after Jen Brady and Shelby Rogers won Sunday.
Williams will play her next match against no. 4 Naomi Osaka from Japan, who is said to be Serena’s biggest competitor.
Serena’s safety concerns during the pandemic
While the US Open rules were a bit more flexible, she chose to stay at a private home in New York for the tournament duration while having security to make sure she doesn’t leave her bio-secure bubble.
With the French Open, which commences on September 21st, the rules are stricter than US Open, where all the players are expected to stay at the hotels assigned to them.
As reported by the telegraph, “I was planning to rest at my apartment in Paris. However, I’m just taking it a day at a time,” Serena said after her win over Greek No. 1 Maria Sakkari.
When she came to know that the French Open authorities were planning to have spectators for the matches in Paris, she was a bit concerned for her health, stating that she has a reduced lung capacity making her more prone to the virus.
Williams also mentioned that she’s concerned for her health regarding the fact that there would be fans nearby. Her reduced lung capacity is a reason for her to worry. And after a few times in the hospital, she is even more cautious about it.
Both the US Open and French Open are scheduled to close this year, making it an even bigger issue. But Serena said that currently, she’s focusing on the next event in New York.
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