Serena Williams showed she has no intention of ending her singles career without a fight after beating second seed Anett Kontaveit on another remarkable night at the US Open.
Williams, ranked 605th and turning 41 next month, won 7-6 (7-4) 2-6 6-2 to stun the Estonian in New York.
The American recently announced her intention to retire after her home major and is now into the third round.
Williams will play Australia’s Ajla Tomljanovic next on Friday.
A few weeks ago, Williams announced she was “evolving away” from playing tennis in an essay for fashion magazine Vogue, but agreed after beating Montenegro’s Danka Kovinic on Monday she had been vague about her exact timeline.
“There is no rush here,” she laughed after beating Kontaveit. “There is still a little left in me.”
While lacking some of the pomp and ceremony from her opening match on Monday, this was another special atmosphere as 23-time major singles champion Williams looked to extend her storied career by at least another round.
More A-List celebrities, including golf superstar Tiger Woods, actress Zendaya and soul singer Gladys Knight, were among an adoring home crowd on the cavernous Arthur Ashe Stadium which was wowed by Williams winning a tense opening set.
The former long-time world number one suffered a dip of energy from the start of the second set as Kontaveit levelled but she recovered to win an edgy decider.
In the end, Williams handled the occasion better than her 26-year-old opponent – who looked emotional before the final game as she hid under her towel – and secured a victory that left many in an exultant crowd jumping to their feet to celebrate.
“I’m a pretty good player, this is what I do best. I love a challenge and I’m rising to the challenge,” said the six-time US Open champion, who first won at Flushing Meadows in 1999.
“I haven’t played many matches but I’ve been practising really well. Now it’s coming together in New York.”
Whether it would come together in New York was debatable heading into the Grand Slam tournament.
Williams had only played four times since making her return from an 11-month injury lay-off, with her most recent match ending in a thrashing by British number one Emma Raducanu in Cincinnati.
There she had struggled with a knee injury in the build-up. Here she is fit, moving well and matching the athleticism of her younger opponents.
One factor which could never be questioned is her insatiable desire to win and the ability to summon the mental strength to overcome adversity.
Asked if she was surprised by her level, Williams replied: “No. I’m just Serena.”
Kontaveit is ranked second in the world but has struggled to live up to her status in recent months.
Her level was decent against Williams in their first career meeting and she said she thought she “didn’t play a bad match at all”.
“I think you have to be ready for really great tennis because Serena has been such a big champion, winning all these Grand Slam titles for a reason,” she added.
