Tennis icon, Serena Williams, just earned her 100th U.S. Open win.
The 37 year old tennis champion proved victorious over 27 year old Qiang Wang of China in just 44 minutes at the Arthur Ashe stadium in New York, advancing herself to the semifinals and marking an impressive milestone.
Williams won 6-1, 6-0, over the No. 18 seed, Wang. The win is now recorded as one of the shortest complete matches of the Women’s Tennis Association season. Williams dominated on the c*ourt, winning the first five games in about 15 minutes. "It feels good," Williams told ESPN of her win. "It feels like, 'OK, this is what I've been training for. This is how hard I've been working.' It feels like, you know, hard work pays off when that happens."
The season started out rocky for Williams after suffering an ankle i*njury. But she’s healed well. “Physically, I’m feeling great and more than anything, I’m having fun every time I come out here,” Williams said. She was a force to be reckoned with on the c*ourt, with a staggering total of 50 points to Wang’s mere 15. A testament to all the training she’s been doing. "I've been working on my speed, getting shots," Williams said. "I didn't give her too many chances in the match. "That's a good stat for me. It's good because I want to be able to move around the cou*rt. I move when I want to move. I guess I wanted to move tonight."
Williams first appeared on the U.S. Open stage in 1998 when she was just 17 years old.
"From when I first started here ... I never thought that I would get to 100. Didn't even cross my mind I would still be out here. But I love what I do,” she said. The 23 time Grand Slam winner will be breaking more records soon, looking to win her 24th Grand Slam and tie the record for most grand slam wins, a title currently held by former world no. 1 Australian tennis player, Margaret Smith Court.
In the 100 US Open wins Williams has earned, she has played just nine tiebreaks, winning seven, defeated players from 30 different countries, and won 84% of her matches in straight sets, living up to her title as one of the greatest players in the world.
When reporters asked Wang what was most surprising about her opponent, Wang said it was Williams’ power. Her next match is against Ukranian tennis player Elina Svitolina in the semi-final on Thursday, Sept. 5.
Photo Courtesy of Robert Deutsch/Reuters