Serena Williams lets out a roar of approval after fighting back to beat Christina McHale in Auckland yesterday. Photo / Photosport
Serena Williams lets out a roar of approval after fighting back to beat Christina McHale in Auckland yesterday. Photo / Photosport
Serena Williams was fearing the worst around 3.30pm yesterday.
She was in serious trouble in her second round match with Christina McHale - and all she could think about was not letting the Auckland tennis crowd down again.
For someone who has achieved so much, Williams came across as a mere mortal yesterday at the ASB Classic, in a tense two-hour battle with McHale, where she eventually prevailed 3-6 6-2 6-3.
Not only in the way that she struggled in the first set, with a potpourri of sweet and sour, but also the fact that her mind drifted back to the infamous 2017 defeat here to Madison Brengle.
Williams has 23 Grand Slam titles to her credit and is hellbent on getting No24 in Melbourne next month but revealed another side to her character yesterday.
She seemed to genuinely understand what it meant for the tournament, and her fans here, to see her at her best and progress, which provided timely motivation to turn the match around.
"Today, I just got mad," said Williams. "Honestly, today I said 'I want to win more than one match here in New Zealand'. It's like I can do this. I literally thought about that. Sometimes just the craziest things get you motivated. [So that] was good. I got myself into a hole, and I was able to get myself out of it, so that was satisfying."
For some reason, things are never that straightforward for Williams in Auckland.
The top seed endured an almighty struggle against McHale, which threatened to be a repeat of 2017, when Williams was knocked out at the same stage by journey-woman Brengle in an error-ridden display.
But Williams, after fighting some inner demons, found her range in the second half of the match and eventually eased to the finish line.
On paper, the contrast between the two players couldn't have been greater.
World No88 McHale has one WTA title to her credit, while Williams has 72, including 23 Grand Slams.
Serena Williams, right, shakes hands with her compatriot Christina McHale after winning their second round singles match. Photo / AP
And while McHale once reached a high of No24, Williams has been inside the world's top five for most of the last 20 years.
Williams has banked around US$137 million in career earnings, while McHale has earned US$6m in a decade as a professional.
They had met three times in the past, all in 2016, with Williams winning all three clashes while only dropping one set.
At the start it looked like one-way traffic. Williams took her first service game without dropping a point, before quickly going up 40-0 on the McHale serve. But then, weirdly, something changed. McHale found her range, without ever being spectacular, while Williams mixed sweet and sour.
McHale reeled off four games in a row, including breaking the Williams serve twice, as the long-time former world No1 was in a bit of a hole.
Williams broke back, roaring her approval — before McHale managed a gusty hold to edge 5-3 ahead. That was crucial as Williams' serve fell apart in the next game, the ball flying off her frame at 0-40 to give McHale the set in 45 minutes.
"I was making a lot of errors, I stopped making so many and tried to be a little bit more aggressive," admitted Williams.
"I had to play better; I was playing someone who was playing unbelievable, so I had to play better."
Williams recovered in the second set, breaking the McHale serve twice.
Instead of going long and wide, she held back a bit and started to force errors from her opponent. And the 38-year-old, as only she can, came up with so truly jaw-dropping moments, especially with a couple of passing shots on the run, where time seemed to stand still.
Williams held the edge throughout the final set, although she was broken when serving for the match at 5-2, as McHale moved her around the court.
But eventually the pressure told, and Williams nailed her second match point to move into the quarter-finals in Auckland for the first time.
