Serena Williams slips past Britain's Heather Watson at Wimbledon
WIMBLEDON, England – The Serena Slam is still alive. The calendar Grand Slam is still alive. Serena Williams is still alive.
The world No. 1 and five-time Wimbledon champion was given all she could handle Friday, coming within two points of defeat against British No. 1 Heather Watson.
Here's what went down.
Scoreline: [1] Serena Williams (USA) def. Heather Watson (GBR) 6-2, 4-6, 7-5
It was a flashback to Williams' French Open campaign a few weeks ago, when she came back time after time, match after match to win in three sets. This match, perhaps, was more dramatic than all of those, Centre Court shaking with support for Watson, ranked No. 59 in the world.
What it means: Serena now moves into the fourth round here, setting up a blockbuster match against older sister Venus on Monday. It keeps alive her streak of major titles won, the 33-year-old going for a fourth in a row here at Wimbledon. She also continues the chase of the calendar Slam in 2015, something she's never completed in her career.
The Williams sisters will meet in a Grand Slam for the first time since 2009, when they played here in the final, a match won by Serena. They've played 25 times overall, Serena holding a 14-11 edge but Venus winning their last encounter, last summer on hard courts in Montreal.
They haven't met this early at a major since 2005, when Venus won a fourth-round encounter at the U.S. Open.
How it happened: Centre Court tried to will Watson over the finish line, the affable 23-year-old serving for the match at 5-4 in the third set and coming within two points of the victory at deuce. But Williams, ever the fighter, found a way to win again, avoiding a second straight upset in the round of 32 at the All England Club.
Williams appeared to be in control to start, hitting 12 winners in a trot of a first set. But Watson wouldn't let her go that easily, as she attempted to be the first British woman to reach the fourth round of any Slam since Laura Robson did so here in 2013.
Watson broke for a 5-4 lead in the second set and then held to force a decider, the roaring crowd rising to its feet to show support. Watson would race to a double break lead in the third, serving up 3-0. Yet Williams, as she has made a habit of doing, came back to pull even on serve at 4-3. Watson would win the next two games to serve for the match at 5-4, but she couldn't close it out, Williams breaking and then holding for a 6-5 lead.
Watson would save two match points before a baseline ball went just long, handing the world No. 1 her 75th career win at the All England Club.
Key stat: The intangibles are always the most notable for Serena, who trailed at every possible avenue in the decider before squeaking past an inspired foe.
But her serve played more than a key role, thanks to nine aces and 81 percent of points won on first serves in. Ever the more powerful player, Williams would hit 40 winners to 15 from Watson, including 10 in the decider from the American.
What she said: "That was probably my toughest match (on Centre Court)," Williams said after the match on BBC. "She gave her all. She should have won that match, really. She was just playing so good there was nothing I could do."
"She's in better form than I am, so she has the advantage going into that match. At least one of us is going to be in the quarterfinals."
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