Serena Williams Records Historic 100th U.S. Open Win

The GOAT keeps going

On Monday, Serena Williams rang in the Labor Day holiday with a history-making U.S. Open victory, becoming the first player to ever record 100 wins at New York’s Arthur Ashe Stadium. (Runner-up Roger Federer trails behind with a distant 77.)

Williams’ defeat of Greece’s Maria Sakkari advanced the 38-year-old tennis great to the 2020 U.S. Open quarter-finals. A U.S. Open win would grant Williams her 24th Grand Slam title, tying her with Margaret Court for the most Grand Slam women’s singles titles held by a single player.

Due to the ongoing pandemic, players in this year’s U.S. Open are competing without the morale-boosting cheers of their adoring fans. But despite the near emptiness of Arthur Ashe Stadium, Williams hasn’t had any trouble tapping her inner reserves of hype.

“I don’t feel like I’m super different without a crowd, but I’m super passionate,” Williams said after the match, according to the New York Times. “This is my job. This is what I wake up to do. This is what I train to do 365 days of the year.”

Drive aside, Williams did admit that she felt the absence of fan applause in between points — the longer the crowd claps, the longer the break for athletes before resuming play. “I could have used a little bit of [those breaks for applause] in this match,” she laughed.

Monday’s win marked Williams’ second U.S. Open milestone in a week. Last Tuesday, she broke the record for most career wins by a male or female player, irrespective of venue, in the tournament’s history with her 102nd win.