MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — As Serena Williams made her way out to
the Australian Open's main court during pre-match introductions, the
voice booming over the stadium's speakers implored spectators to welcome
"the world's No. 1 player — from Romania, Simona Halep."
Oops.
Williams,
wearing headphones, quickly pivoted and retreated back into the tunnel
she'd just emerged from, making way for her fourth-round opponent Monday
night. A couple of hours later, when Williams wrapped up her 6-1, 4-6,
6-4 victory over Halep in a contest filled with momentum swings and
fantastic play by both, it was clear which woman really is No. 1,
regardless of what the current rankings say.
"It was a really
intense match, and it was some incredible points," said Williams, who
improved to 9-1 against Halep and now meets 2016 U.S. Open runner-up
Karolina Pliskova in the quarterfinals. "I love playing tennis and I
love to play here and I love to be back out here."
The 37-year-old
American sat out last year's Australian Open after giving birth to a
daughter months earlier and dealing with health complications. Since
returning to the tour, Williams has reached the past two Grand Slam
finals, losing both — and leaving her still one shy of equaling Margaret
Court's record of 24 major singles titles.
Halep offered up the
first real test Williams has faced at this year's Australian Open, where
she is bidding for an eighth trophy, pushing her throughout a
back-and-forth matchup that was a fascinating mix of power, court
coverage and shotmaking.
It wasn't until Williams saved three
break points in a monumental game to hold for 3-all in the third set
that she gained control.
"I was unlucky a little bit," Halep said.
Williams then broke for a 4-3 lead and finally was on her way.
"In
order for me to stay out there, I had to play a little like I knew I
could," said Williams, who is seeded 16th on account of all the time she
took away from tennis while becoming a mother. "I'm such a fighter. I
just never give up. It's definitely something that's innate. I just work
so hard for every point."
That she does. She also makes abundantly clear just how much every point means to her.
Against
Halep — who beat Serena's older sister, Venus, in the third round —
Williams frequently pumped her fists or yelled "Come on!" after key
exchanges. When Halep hit one shot that caught the net tape and barely
trickled over for a winner, Williams looked pained and complained, "I
mean, it's not fair."
Pliskova advanced earlier Monday with a 6-3, 6-1 victory over two-time major champion Garbine Muguruza.
The
other quarterfinal on that side of the women's bracket features No. 4
Naomi Osaka against No. 6 Elina Svitolina. Osaka, who beat Williams in
last year's U.S. Open final, edged No. 13 Anastasija Sevastova 4-6, 6-3,
6-4 in the fourth round, while Svitolina got past 2017 U.S. Open
finalist Madison Keys 6-2, 1-6, 6-1.
In men's matches, 2016
Wimbledon runner-up Milos Raonic knocked off No. 4-seeded Alexander
Zverev 6-1, 6-1, 7-6 (5), and next takes on No. 28 Lucas Pouille, a 6-7
(4), 6-4, 7-5, 7-6 (2) winner over No. 11 Borna Coric. No. 23 Pablo
Carreno Busta left the court yelling at the chair umpire after a
disagreement in the concluding tiebreaker of his 6-7 (8), 4-6, 7-6 (4),
6-4, 7-6 (8) loss to No. 8-seeded Kei Nishikori in a 5-hour, 5-minute
marathon that was the longest match of the tournament. Nishikori's
quarterfinal foe will be No. 1-seeded and six-time champion Novak
Djokovic, who overcame a couple of tumbles to the court and a series of
energy-sapping baseline exchanges — one point lasted 42 strokes! — to
beat No. 15 Daniil Medvedev 6-4, 6-7 (5), 6-2, 6-3.
After topping
Medvedev in a 3-hour, 15-minute struggle to get back to the
quarterfinals for the first time in three years, Djokovic joked during
an on-court interview: "Since I guess my next opponent is watching, I'm
feeling fantastic. I've never felt fresher in my life."
Williams
and Halep traded jittery breaks of serve in the opening two games, as
each double-faulted and flubbed shots. But Williams settled down first,
compiling a 10-3 advantage in winners to grab the opening set.
"I felt," Halep said afterward, "like I had been hit by the train."
Halep
then fell behind by a break in the second, before suddenly seeming to
awaken and display her own brand of baseline talent that carried her to
the Australian Open final and French Open championship in 2018.
Halep
made only 12 unforced errors in the entire match, and that clean play
got her back into things, especially as Williams' miscue count rose to a
final tally of 31.
"She's back to being Serena on both the
physical and emotional side. So I think her level is good," said
Williams' coach, Patrick Mouratoglou. "I think she needed a big fight,
and it happened today, and I think it's a great thing — especially when
it ends like that."
Until facing Halep, Williams had dropped a
total of only nine games through three matches in the tournament. Not
only did Halep exceed that total, she also snapped Williams' 21-set
Australian Open winning streak.
That dated to the start of Williams' run to the 2017 title, which she won while pregnant.
"Overall,
I'm hanging in there. I think overall, I'm solid," Williams said. "I
can definitely go to a new level. I have to if I want to stay in the
tournament."
Because this was a night match, her 16½-month-old
daughter, Olympia, couldn't stay up to watch, Williams said, adding:
"But we're going to have a fun morning tomorrow" watching films.
Williams joked she's seen "Frozen" and "Beauty and the Beast" several thousand times apiece.
"I'm like, 'Olympia, there's a plethora of movies to choose from,'" Williams said. "'Can you choose another one?'"