Photo credit: Eduardo Munoz Alvarez/AFP/Getty
Serena Williams is inching closer to earning a record-tying 24th Grand Slam singles title.
On Tuesday, the tennis great defeated Karolina Pliskova 6-4, 6-3 to advance to the semi-finals of the U.S. Open for the 12th time in her professional career.
.@serenawilliams finishes with an ace!
— Live Tennis (@livetennis) September 5, 2018
The legendary 🇺🇸 is into her 12th #USOpen semi-final, beating Karolina #Pliskova 6-4 6-3.
Serena vs Anastasija #Sevastova for a spot in the final. pic.twitter.com/k2lyq4nsKr
"I felt so bad because everyone out here was cheering and I wasn’t winning and I thought I’ve got to try harder, I’ve got to do harder. I really feel like right now I’m playing free because I was having a baby this time last year, so I have nothing to prove. I’m just on my way (back) on the tour and doing the best I can," the Guardian reports Williams saying during an on-court interview.
In response to legendary filmmaker Spike Lee likening watching Williams play to watching Muhammad Ali or Michael Jordan play their respective sports, she said: "To be compared to Ali or Jordan. I really have no words. Namely Ali, because he did so much for the sport and so much for the world, for everyone. That's what I want to do. It’s not what I do out here, but how I can inspire people off the court. That’s my dream."
Serena is set to play Anastasija Sevastova in the semi-finals on Thursday.