Australian Open 2021: Serena Williams fights her way to quarter-finals after defeating Aryna Sabalenka

Australian Open 2021: Serena Williams fights her way to quarter-finals after defeating Aryna Sabalenka

FEBRUARY 08: Serena Williams of the United States of America celebrates after winning her match during round 1 of the 2021 Australian Open on February 8 2020, at Melbourne Park in Melbourne, Australia. (Photo by Jason Heidrich/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

Serena Williams

Serena Williams faced off against the Belarussian Aryna Sabalenka in the fourth round of the Australian Open 2021. Sabalenka was the higher-ranked player going into the match, and showed that she can match Serena toe to toe.

However, Williams proved why she is a legend and took this match 6-4, 2-6, 6-4.

Serena Williams fights her way to the Quarterfinals

The first set started with Sabalenka taking the lead initially. However, Serena brought it to a tie at 2-2 and then took a lead at 3-2. But, Sabalenka used her excellent serves and return shots to fight back, though, it was not enough as the American was able to quickly turn the tables and took the set. The set ended with a score of 6-4.

The second set also started with Sabalenka taking the first game. Following it up with another win to make it a 2-0 lead on Williams. She took a very comfy lead with 3-0. Williams tried to fight back but was kept at bay with the score standing 5-1. Sablenka went on to take this set with a score of 6-2.

The third set started with Williams on the service. She took the first game and then despite Sablenka’s efforts took a lead of 4-1. Sabalenka seemed to be losing her composure at this point. She was throwing around her racquet on the court. But she was able to get to close the gap by making it 4-4. However, it was not enough as Serena Williams took the set with 6-4.

In the post-match interview, when asked about the match, Serena said that she is happy to have made it through this match and that it could have gone either way. About her sister, Williams said that having her (Venus Williams) around is great as she can understand the pressure.

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