Serena Williams Upsets No. 2 Anett Kontaveit, Advances to 2022 US Open 3rd Round

Serena Williams is moving on to the third round of the U.S. Open after defeating No. 2-seeded Anett Kontaveit 7-6 (4), 2-6, 6-2 on Wednesday from New York City's Arthur Ashe Stadium.

The 40-year-old Williams' phenomenal and powerful serves proved to be the key to her success, and she now holds a 42-0 record in the first and second rounds of the U.S. Open all-time.

The 23-time Grand Slam singles winner, who is playing her final tournament, posted 10 aces and won 46 of 63 first-serve points (including 24 of 27 in the first set).

Both players held serve in the first set until Williams broke Kontaveit to go up 5-4.

However, the Estonian bounced back by breaking Williams and knotting the score at five. The set soon went into a tiebreaker, which featured more tense tennis and this Williams baseline winner:

Up 4-3, Williams earned a point on Kontaveit's serve and held on from there for the 7-4 tiebreaker win.

The second set was all Kontaveit, who rolled to a 6-2 win after breaking Williams on her first two opportunities.

Kontaveit won all seven of her first-serve points and seven of 10 second-return points.

Undeterred, Williams put on a masterclass in the third set, breaking Kontaveit on three separate occasions en route to the 6-2 victory.

Kontaveit had a chance to erase a break and serve down 4-3, but Williams denied that chance after this remarkable point.

She won 12 of 16 first-serve points and earned 14 winners to Kontaveit's three.

With the victory, Williams continued her astounding success against top-two players.

Williams will now face unseeded Ajla Tomljanovic in the third round. The two have never met head-to-head before.

Williams will also team with her sister, seven-time Grand Slam singles champion Venus Williams, in doubles action. The duo has won 14 Grand Slam doubles titles together. Their 2022 U.S. Open run will begin Thursday against Linda Noskova and Lucie Hradecka.