Aussie Open
No fans during lockdown
MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — Serena Williams will be part of the weekend action at the Australian Open. Spectators will not.
Williams overcame erratic strokes and two set points to beat Anastasia Potapova 7-6 (5), 6-2 today and advance to the fourth round.
The surprisingly close match entertained a modest crowd in Rod Laver Arena, but government officials announced fans will be banned from the tournament for five days beginning Saturday because of a COVID-19 outbreak at a Melbourne hotel, although not a player hotel. The Grand Slam tournament had been the first in a year to allow sizeable crowds.
Williams learned the news about the ban after her match.
“No more fans? Wow. It’s sad,” she told ESPN. “Five days? I need to stick around then.”
Williams, 39, is again seeking to tie Margaret Court’s record of 24 Grand Slam titles. Williams won her 23rd at the 2017 Australian Open.
She was eliminated in the third round at Melbourne last year, and appeared destined for the same fate until the 19-year-old Potapova became unnerved. Serving at 5-4, the young Russian held two set points but double-faulted five times and was broken.
Potapova squandered another lead in the tiebreaker, committing unforced errors on the final three points. The last was perhaps the best of the match, with Williams playing spectacular defense to extend a 21shot rally that ended when a weary Potapova misfired on a forehand.
Another wild scramble two games later swung the match even more in Williams’ direction and had her laughing before the rally ended. She chased down a drop shot at the net, retreated to retrieve a lob, and watched from near the backstop as Potapova smacked an overhead into the net.
“I’ve still got the wheels,” Williams said with a grin. “I wasn’t playing my best today. I started playing defense it was the one thing that kept me in the match.”
Williams won despite losing serve three times and committing 31 unforced errors.
“It was just a weird day,” she said. “Sometimes these matches are really just about getting through them and forgetting them and moving forward. In the past I wasn’t able to do that because I was so hard on myself, and it would affect me in the future. I’m still learning.”
Seeded 10th, she’ll next face No. 7 Aryna Sabalenka, who matched her best Grand Slam showing by advancing to the round of 16 with a win over American Ann Li, 6-3, 6-1.
Victoria Premier Daniel Andrews announced a five-day, state-wide lockdown starting a minute before midnight local time, imposing new restrictions that prevent residents from leaving their homes except for work, to shop for essential supplies, care or caregiving, and limited exercise.
Andrews said the Australian Open could continue “because these people are at their workplace.”
“It will be happening, but there’ll be no one there watching it,” he said.
“I don’t have advice to cancel the event on the basis that it’s unsafe,” he added, saying the latest COVID-19 cases had nothing to do with the tennis quarantine program.