The six-time champion struggled at the very beginning against the unranked player who was doing her first tournament in 3 years.
The Bulgarian played a strong match and put Williams in a hole early. She forced Williams to multiple left-handed shots. While Willliams struggled with her back hand.
Williams lost the opening game and bounced back in the second set. The 23-time grand slam champion closed out the set with three straight aces. She finished the match with 20 aces and 44 winners. She completed the second and third set in no time. It’s the third consecutive match that Williams has gone a full three sets to win. She also dropped the first set in the third round, but was able to complete much quicker and cleaner second and third sets.
Serena mentioned that at the beginning of the match, her legs were paining her, but somehow, she found new energy during the game. She will play the semi-final on Friday against Victoria Azarenka or Elise Mertens.