Serena Williams (Photo : www.dailynewsegypt.com)
In the intense back and forth with Heather Watson, the world No 1 Serena Williams, came out on top, after being pushed to the very brink of a sensational Centre Court Wimbledon defeat.
Great Britain’s Watson ranked 59, gave Williams, all she could handle in her toughest match, and was just two points away from victory in the third set. The five-time Wimbledon champion beat Watson 6-2, 4-6, 7-5 to advance to the fourth round of Wimbledon.
“I honestly didn’t think I ... was going to win,” Williams told CNN. “How I pulled through, I really don’t know. I just was like, listen, if I’m going to go lose, I’m going to lose trying to do the right things.”
The 23-year-old Watson, served for the match at 5-4 in the decider, but Williams recovered for victorious 6-2 4-6 7-5 in just two hours and 15 minutes.
Watson was hoping to reach the fourth round for the first time, and become the first British woman in 36 years, to beat a world No 1, after Sue Barker beat Chris Evert in Boston in 1979.
“It was a tough, tough ask today. But I was super, super close. I think that’s what really hurts the most,” Watson told BBC.
Williams will be meeting older sister Venus Williams on Monday for the fourth round. The Williams sister having five Wimbledon singles title each, have met before in a total of 25 matches with the world No 1 being the winner for 14 matches. They played in Montreal last year, with the older Williams winning the match. The Monday match will be their first meet in a Grand Slam in six years.
