Sparkling Serena Williams overcomes tepid start to delight US Open crowd | Tumaini Carayol

The 23-time major singles champion won another chance to engineer one last signature moment at Flushing Meadows

As Serena Williams desperately tried to drag herself through the first set of the match that could have marked the end, she was struggling badly. She had been sucked into an endless service game at 5-3 and she could only fight to hold on. She eventually faced her fourth break point of the game, the pressure rising with every point. And then, just like that, she took Arthur Ashe Stadium back to the past: ace, ace, unreturned serve. Set. Williams walked towards her seat, she clenched both of her fists and she roared into the skies.

The serve, the fight and the attitude have all been some fundamental sights in tennis for two and a half decades. After these weeks, they will likely never be seen again.