Former world No.1 Serena Williams overcame both a rolled ankle and Petra Martic during her fourth round clash at the US Open on Sunday.
Making her 19th appearance at Flushing Meadows, the former world No.1 was given a stern test throughout her 6-3, 6-4, victory. World No.22 Martic has recorded four wins over top 20 players in her career, including a victory over Karolina Pliskova at the French Open earlier this year. On top of that an injury scare overshadowed the closing stages of the match as Williams held her nerve to prevail. Doing so with 38 winners to 19 unforced errors.
“I just rolled it. I don’t know why. I was volleying and it just went over, so that was a little frustrating.” Williams commented on her ankle. “I wanted to get it compressed really fast, so that’s what I did.”
“It affected me mentally a little because I’ve had a rough year with injuries. I was like ‘oh my god, not again.”
The Sunday afternoon clash was the first meeting between two very different players. 37-year-old Williams headed into the clash with 313 more wins than Martic in grand slam tournaments (346-33). Furthermore, she has won almost 10 times more matches on a hard court (503-57) and 71 more titles (72-1).
Despite the disparity between the two, Williams was tested throughout the opener. Martic’s ability to use a variety of shot-making forced the former world No.1 to work hard. After trading breaks at the start, Williams didn’t secure her first breakthrough until the eighth game of the match. Leading 4-3, she pounced on the Martic serve. Working her way to break point with the help of a forehand cross-court winner on route to breaking, before going on to clinch the opening set with a delicate drop shot.
Williams continued to look solid on the court until disaster struck. Involved in a rally with the Croatian, she rolled her right ankle after approaching the net. Forcing the 23,000 capacity Arthur Ashe Stadium into silence. The 38-year-old already had a bandage around her foot prior to the accident. Williams went on break Martic for 3-2 before having a medical time out. Where she received further taping on her foot.
The tone of the crowd was somewhat different following the scare. The usually animated New York contingent remained uncharacteristically quiet as they watched Williams’ closely. Fortunately for Williams, her movement didn’t appear too affected as she continued to weather the storm to extend the lead to 4-2.
Edging herself on with shouts of ‘come on’ the break was enough of a margin for the American to close the match out. Serving for the win, Williams clinched victory on her first opportunity. Hammering an ace down the centre of the court.
“It’s definitely not easy. Everyone, whether I’m three months out of pregnancy, they still expect me to win.” Williams said about living up to expectations on the tour. “It’s not easy, but as Billie Jean King once said, ‘pressure is a privilege’ and I’m privileged to have that pressure. “
The latest win is Williams’ 99th in Flushing Meadows. Making it her most successful grand slam after Wimbledon (98). Should she win the title this year, the American would break Chris Evert’s record for most matches won at the US Open by a woman in the Open Era.
Williams will play China’s Wang Qiang next.
