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US Open: Serena Williams defeats Catherine McNally 5-7 6-3 6-1

Serena Williams was caught off guard by an American teenager playing in her first US Open, but the champion bounced back emphatically.

2 min read
August 29, 2019 - 3:05PM
Serena Williams beats Catherine McNally in the US Open

Serena Williams shrugged off a near-disastrous opening set against American teenager Catherine McNally to advance into the third round of the US Open with a 5-7 6-3 6-1 victory.

Unseeded McNally, playing in her first grand slam at Flushing Meadows, made a staggering start to claim the first set 7-5 against one of the dominant tennis players of all time.

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The set was tied at 5-5 when McNally secured the much needed break before holding her nerve to close out the set.

The stunning opening set loss woke Williams up and saw her show the teenager just who the boss was.

Williams shrugged off the frustration and after a back-and-forth opening to the second set, she broke McNally twice on her way to claiming it 6-3 as the crowd well and truly got behind the 23-time Grand Slam champion.

After finding her groove in the second set, Williams was back to her dominant best in the deciding set as she raced away to a 4-0 lead.

The dominant display was made all the more impressive by the fact McNally won only one point through the opening four games.

“She really came out and played well and showed no fear, I mean she had absolutely nothing to lose so she played like it,” Williams said.

“It’s good to see so many young players doing so well.”

The champion composed herself during the second set and said she just tried to let her own game come through.

“I couldn’t really play too much worse at that point, I was making so many errors off my forehand and I knew I could play better,” Williams said.

“I just tried to let Serena come through for once.

“I survived tonight I’m not too pleased with the game at all. I’ll do better … I promise.”

Her victory adds to a phenomenal record at Grand Slams against teenagers, taking her win-loss record to 56-3.

The last time she lost to a teenager at a slam was back in the 2013 quarterfinals of the Australian Open against American Sloane Stephens.

Her incredible third set display left fans and commentators in awe of just what the female G.O.A.T can produce when she’s clicking.

The win lifts Williams into the third round where she’ll take on either Karolina Muchova or 29th seed Su-Wei Hsieh.

US OPEN DAY THREE RESULTS

Grigor Dimitrov def. Borna Coric (12) retired.

Kei Nishikori (7) def. Bradley Klahn 6-2, 4-6, 6-3, 7-5.

Roger Federer (3) def. Damir Dzumhur 3-6, 6-2, 6-3, 6-4.

Karolina Pliskova (3) def. Mariam Bolkvadze 6-1, 6-4.

Elina Svitolina (5) def. Venus Williams 6-4, 6-4.

Madison Keys (10) def. Zhu Lin 6-4, 6-1.

Ash Barty (2) def. Lauren Davis 6-2, 7-6

Novak Djokovic (1) def. Juan Ignacio Londero 6-4, 7-6, 6-1

Serena Williams (8) def. Catherine McNally 5-7, 6-3, 6-1

Dominik Koepfer def. Reilly Opelka 6-4, 6-4, 7-6

Originally published as US Open: Serena Williams defeats Catherine McNally 5-7 6-3 6-1

Original URL: https://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/sport/tennis/live-us-open-serena-williams-vs-catherine-mcnally/news-story/efe8148754a69a14131c8ece6b2f7f6e