New York | Playing more like a world number one than a player ranked outside the top 600, Serena Williams turned back the clock on Wednesday (Thursday AEST) to defeat world number two Anett Kontaveit and move into the third round of the US Open, putting her retirement plans on pause.
Defeat has always been hard to swallow for the fiercely competitive Williams and her relentless will to win was on full display during an absorbing two-hour, 27-minute contest of unexpectedly high quality, breathless intensity and drama.
