Serena Williams got a lesson yesterday in how the rest of women's tennis has closed the onetime power gap that she and her sister created.
Then she showed that she can still teach a few things about closing out a match as she advanced to the fourth round of the Australian Open by rallying to knock out fifth-seeded Nadia Petrova 1-6, 7-5, 6-3.
The victory over Petrova was impressive for Williams, who is unseeded after playing only four tournaments last year due to a chronic knee injury and dropped out of the top 100 for the first time since 1997 before climbing back to 95th in the year-end rankings.
PHOTO: AFP
She was shocked to hear she had just beaten a top 10 player for the first time since she downed Mauresmo in the final here two years ago for her seventh Grand Slam title.
"Has it been that long? That's a terrible stat," Williams said, shaking her head in disbelief.
Still, it was far from clear who was really the favorite when they took the court. While Williams clearly has some way to go to return to the domination that she and sister Venus exerted over women's tennis a few years ago, other players have labeled her one of the most dangerous competitors when she's fit.
Petrova has never reached the final of a major, but she raced through the first set and was serving for the match at 5-3 in the second. Then Williams found another gear.
"I really had no other option than for my game to go up," Williams said. "I was down 3-5 and on the verge of being out of the tournament, and I obviously didn't want that to happen. I told myself just to stay in there and do what I had been practicing and it'll come together sooner or later. I think the more pressure I get, the tougher I get."
For Petrova, the opposite was happening.
"Serena raised her game, and I started to be a little bit more careful on the court," Petrova said. "She started putting more pressure on me. She came up with some unbelievable returns. She really started hustling and running for every single ball."
Williams broke, starting a string of six straight games that put her in control. Unlike Petrova, she never let up.
"She had so much experience," Petrova said. "She won many tournaments, many matches, she's been through difficult situations. So that definitely gave her a good feeling for today."
Some have questioned Williams' fitness. There were no questions after outlasting Petrova.
"I wasn't tired at all. I'm still not tired. I feel like going to run a marathon," Williams said, laughing.
Williams will face No. 11 Jelena Jankovic tomorrow.
Top-ranked Roger Federer gave a schooling to 25th-seeded Mikhail Youzhny, beating last year's US Open semifinalist 6-3, 6-3, 7-6 (5).
Federer, bidding for a 10th major, extended his streak to 32 matches -- and 10 straight at Melbourne Park.
"I was happy the way I was playing today," Federer said. "I thought as well it was entertaining."
Certainly the near-capacity center-court crowd enjoyed the long rallies and pinpoint winners.
Federer was far from perfect -- he had 33 unforced errors to go with his 40 winners -- but he still made Youzhny look ordinary much of the time, using his great anticipation to retrieve what appeared to be winners and often leaving the Russian flat-footed and awkward by cleverly disguising his own shots.
About the only real trouble Federer had was with the new system of challenging close line calls. He lost four of his five challenges -- and had none left when he wanted to question a call that pulled Youzhny within 6-4 in the third-set tiebreaker -- but the one that he got right gave him an ace to finish off the first set.
Each player tried to take advantage of the other's backhand, leading to several cat-and-mouse rallies in which they hit slice after slice to the left sidelines.
Youzhny got so frustrated with Federer's impregnable defense that he pumped his fist, the crowd roaring, after a perfect crosscourt passing shot winner even though it only pulled him within 40-30 on Federer's serve.
Youzhny called for the trainer to massage his lower back after Federer broke him in the first game of the second set but didn't seem to suffer any further problems.
Jobe Bellingham on Tuesday admitted to having “anxieties” on following in brother Jude’s footsteps after joining Borussia Dortmund in the summer. Jobe Bellingham, 19, is two years younger than Jude Bellingham, who joined Real Madrid in 2023 after three years at Dortmund. A centerpiece of the England national team, Jude Bellingham has emerged as one of the best players in the world in recent seasons. The younger Jobe Bellingham joined Dortmund in June from Sunderland after their promotion to the English Premier League. He admitted he understood what the perception would be ahead of the move to Germany. “It’s something you do think about.
Before Tuesday’s 7-2 win at the Atlanta Braves, Milwaukee Brewers manager Pat Murphy suggested “most people couldn’t tell you five players on our team.” A look at the standings would indicate more Brewers players soon will be recognized by more fans. After all, it is difficult to overlook a team that not only continues to extend their lead in the National League Central, but also boasts the best record in the majors. “What we’re doing in here right now is special,” right-handed pitcher Freddy Peralta said after allowing only four hits and one run in five innings, while setting a career high with
Carlos Alcaraz on Sunday fought through a second-set slump to post a roller-coaster 6-1, 2-6, 6-3 victory over Damir Dzumhur in his opening match at the Cincinnati Open. The Spaniard, playing his first tournament since losing to Jannik Sinner in the Wimbledon final, raced through the first set, but completely lost his way in the second, dropping his serve twice against the 33-year-old Bosnian. Alcaraz regained his intensity and cut down his errors in the third set as a seventh ace took him to a match point that was converted when Dzumhur fired wide. “It was just a roller coaster,” said the second
NEXT ROUND: World No. 1s Jannik Sinner and Aryna Sabalenka opened their title defenses with straight-sets wins, while Iga Swiatek and Taylor Fritz also advanced Jannik Sinner and Aryna Sabalenka got their title defenses off to smooth starts as they powered into the third round of the ATP-WTA Cincinnati Open on Saturday. The men’s and women’s top seeds, each ranked No. 1 in the world, were both competing for the first time since Wimbledon, where Sinner lifted the title and Sabalenka bowed out in the women’s semi-finals. Sinner crushed Colombian Daniel Elahi Galan 6-1, 6-1 in steamy afternoon weather, while Sabalenka beat 2023 Wimbledon champion Marketa Vondrousova 7-5, 6-1 under the lights of the night session. Sabalenka needed 54 minutes and a service break in the final game
RSS