Serena Williams extended her run at the 2022 U.S. Open on Wednesday night in a three-set thriller over the No. 2 seed in the tournament, Annet Kontaveit. Sports Illustrated’s Jon Wertheim and Chris Almeida discuss whether Williams, at age 40, can now be considered a serious contender in what she’s said will be her final professional tournament.
Chris Almeida: All right, Serena Williams is onto the next round. This was certainly more compelling than her first-round match—it was against Anett Kontaveit, the second seed, and it went three sets, 7–6, 2–6, 6–2. There was some gravity to this match. Serena had the pressure put on her, and she responded. She played great.
Jon Wertheim: On the one hand, a six-time U.S. Open champion winning a match at the U.S. Open can never be an upset. On the other: This is one of the more stunning results I've seen in a long time. We should point out early here that Kontaveit is No. 2 in the seedings, but she’s got some long COVID issues and is clearly not the world's second-best player. But still: 48 hours ago, Serena had won one match in the last 12 months and had lost her last set 0–6. Can we talk about her seriously, now, as a U.S. Open contender? There’s still a long way to go. but this was really impressive. She didn't just beat the second-seeded player, she didn't just beat someone 15 years younger than her, but she looked like the Serena of old while doing it.
