Playing more like a world No.1 than a player ranked outside the top 600, Serena Williams has turned back the clock to stun Estonian Anett Kontaveit and move into the US Open third round, putting retirement plans on pause.
Defeat has always been hard to swallow for the fiercely competitive Williams, 40, and American's relentless will to win was on full display during an absorbing 2h 27m contest of unexpected high-quality, breathless intensity and drama.
Williams has signalled her intention to retire earlier this month, saying she is "evolving away from tennis", without confirming the US Open as her final event.
But any farewell has now been put on hold, with Williams back on centrecourt for a doubles match with older sister Venus, followed by a third-round clash with Australian Ajla Tomljanovic, who was a 1-6 6-2 7-5 winner over Russia's Evgeniya Rodina.
"I'm a pretty good player," said Williams with a sly grin, when asked how she downed the world No.2. "This is what I do best - I love a challenge, I love rising to a challenge.
"The last couple matches here in New York, it's really come together. I'm super competitive - honestly, I'm just looking at it as a bonus.
"I have absolutely nothing to prove."
With 23 Grand Slam titles and widely regarded as the greatest women's player of all time, Williams indeed has done it all on the tennis court.
But after two wins and now safely through to the third round, the once-unthinkable dream of a Hollywood ending to Williams' career just might be in the cards, walking off into retirement with an elusive 24th major that would put her level with Margaret Court at the top of the all-time list.
Ranked world No.1 for 319 weeks, Williams arrived in New York sitting below 600, unseeded and with just a single match win from three events before the season's final Grand Slam.
Williams last posted back-to-back wins more than a year ago - at the 2021 French Open. She faced a daunting challenge in Kontaveit, 26, a player whose game was built for hardcourt and who won five of her six career titles on the surface.
With none of the pre-match festivities that took place before her first-round match to distract her, Williams stepped onto the court with her game face on and delivered a performance that had a packed Arthur Ashe Stadium on its feet.
Williams claimed the first break to go 5-4 up, but faltered serving for the set and Kontaveit broke back to ensure a tiebreak.
The tiebreak was of no less quality, Williams clinching it 7-4 in classic fashion, with a thundering ace.
But the Estonian would not be intimidated by either Williams or a frothing crowd, grabbing two early breaks in the second set to jump 3-0 in front and easily take the set.
The third got off to a scrappy start, with three breaks in the opening four games, but two of those went to Williams. She got in front 4-1 and never let go.
Reuters
