Arantxa Rus just failed to provide a surprise at the WTA tournament in Cincinnati on Monday. The Dutch number 67 in the world offered Serena Williams excellent resistance, but could not finish in a grueling three-hour match.
On the courts of the US Open in New York, where the tournament is played once due to the corona virus, the second-round match ended with 7-6 (6), 3-6 and 7-6 (0) in favor of the 23-fold Grand Slam winner.
Rus immediately got along well with Williams, although she had little to say in the service games of the American, who struck in the first set in the final phase of the tiebreaker. In the second set, however, it was the Dutch who dominated and forced a third set.
In the match for empty stands, Rus looked fitter than Williams, although the number nine in the world took a 5-2 lead in set three. Rus fought back, however, took four games in a row and was allowed to serve 6-5 for the game. However, she could not finish and surrendered in the tiebreak.
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The match between Arantxa Rus and Serena Williams was played in front of empty stands. (Photo: Pro Shots)
Rus is now targeting US Open
Rus had previously qualified for the main tournament through the qualifications and convincingly dealt with the Belgian Alison Van Uytvanck in the opening round of the tournament in New York.
The 29-year-old from Delft is now preparing for the US Open, which starts on Monday. Rus is the only Dutch participant in the Grand Slam tournament, where a number of big names have signed out due to the corona pandemic. Kiki Bertens is one of them.
For Williams in the run-up to the US Open, the next round of the WTA tournament in Cincinnati awaits, in which she will meet the thirteenth seeded Greek Maria Sakkari.
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