Serena Williams enjoyed a legendary tennis career, enjoying particular success at Flushing Meadows.
America’s Williams won her first Slam at the US Open in 1999 as a teenager, becoming the sixth youngest woman to win a Major title.
She added five more US Open titles to her collection throughout the remainder of her professional career.
Dominating in New York during her time on the WTA Tour, players, young and old, dreaded seeing the 43-year-old appear in their section of the draw.
One young star faced the Williams test in 2019, as she now reveals the big mistake she made during their second-round match.
Caty McNally admits she ‘shouldn’t have’ thrown her arms up after winning a set off Serena Williams
Speaking on the Inside In Tennis Podcast, doubles star Caty McNally shared her thoughts on her battle with Williams at the 2019 US Open.
“Yeah, I mean I just tried to keep my head down,” she said.
“I think I told myself before the match, just keep your head down.
“Don’t look up at her because the second you look up at her, you’re going to be like holy s— you’re playing Serena Williams. Like, this is insane.”
McNally won the first set 7-5 and threw her arms up in celebration, a move she regrets six years later.
“Yeah, I won the first set, I think I like threw my arms up,” she said.
“I don’t even know why I threw my arms up. I think I was just like, it was just pure adrenaline.
“I shouldn’t have done that.”
The crowd was with the 17-year-old throughout the contest, something she was thankful for.
“You know, that was probably part of the reason why I threw my hands up, the crowd was loving it,” said McNally.
“They were supporting me, which was a lot of fun, you know, to not play against Serena and the whole crowd.”
Williams eventually prevailed to win in three sets, 5-7, 6-3, 6-1, in what McNally still considers to be one of the ‘greatest moments’ of her career.
“I think midway through the second set is when she started to run away with it,” she said.
“She started to play really well, and it was just, it was just an amazing experience, and yeah, it’s always crazy to talk about it.
“It seems like it was so long ago but I mean this story will be one I can tell my kids one day.
“You know, I played Serena Williams, I won a set off her, not a lot of people can say that.
“So yeah, definitely one of the best moments of my career so far.”
Did Serena Williams go on to win the US Open in 2019?
Williams won her sixth US Open title in 2014, but had failed in her bid to add a seventh in her previous three visits to Flushing Meadows.
A losing finalist in 2018, Williams was determined to go one better in 2019, and looked in good shape to do so, having battled past McNally in the second round.
- 2019 US Open SF – Serena Williams beat Elina Svitolina, 6-3, 6-1
- 2019 US Open QF – Serena Williams beat Wang Qiang, 6-1, 6-0
- 2019 US Open 4R – Serena Williams beat Petra Martic, 6-3, 6-4
- 2019 US Open 3R – Serena Williams beat Karolina Muchova, 6-3, 6-2
- 2019 US Open 2R – Serena Williams beat Caty McNally, 5-6, 6-3, 6-1
- 2019 US Open 1R – Serena Williams beat Maria Sharapova, 6-1, 6-1
Standing between Williams and a seventh US Open title was Canadian debutant Bianca Andreescu, who was appearing in just her fourth Major tournament.
Andreescu started strongly in the final, taking the first set 6-3 against her more experienced opponent.
An early break for Andreescu in the second extended her advantage before Williams immediately broke back.
The Canadian failed to convert a match point at 6-3, 5-1, 40-30, as Williams began to mount an unlikely comeback.
Winning the next four games, Williams tied things up at 5-5 before Andreescu regained control of her serve, taking the lead once more at 6-5.
Running out of steam, Williams was unable to take the second set to a tiebreaker, falling to a devastating 3-6, 5-7 defeat on Arthur Ashe Stadium.
Williams never returned to a Major final, retiring from tennis in 2022 as a 23-time Grand Slam champion.
Her legacy at the US Open still remains untouched, winning a record six titles during the Open Era.
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