Over the years, Serena Williams has faced many strong rivals on the tennis court. From the likes of her elder sister, Venus Williams, to Maria Sharapova, the 23-time Grand Slam champion came out on top on most of these occasions. Further, one of her keenly-fought rivalries was with the Swiss star, Martina Hingis.
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The two first faced off against each other in Miami in 1998. Hingis, who was the top seed in that tournament, defeated the younger Williams sister in a three-setter thriller. Subsequently, in the 13 matches played between them, Serena emerged on top on seven occasions. One of their memorable matches was at the Acura Classic in Manhattan Beach, California.
Martina Hingis’ commanding win over Serena Williams
The duo was set to face off against each other in the quarterfinals of the Acura Classic in 1998. Hingis was the top seed at the tournament and the favorite to advance to the semifinal of that tournament after her thrilling win over Serena earlier that year. However, before the match, Hingis was subject to some brash words from Serena’s father, Richard Williams.
“I think Serena would kick her butt going and coming,” Richard said, ahead of their encounter. However, that didn’t deter Hingis, who went on to dominate the match, winning it in straight sets 6-4, 6-1. Subsequently, Hingis had a strong reply to Richard’s brash words, saying, “I don’t think she did it.”
Hingis finished runners-up in that tournament. She lost out to Lindsay Davenport in the summit clash. However, she won the women’s doubles title, partnering with Natasha Zvereva.
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Serena set to face Harmony Tan at Wimbledon 2022
The 23-time Grand Slam champion is making a comeback at this year’s Wimbledon Championships. She will take on France’s Harmony Tan in the opening round of the tournament. Their match will take place tomorrow.
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Can Serena dig deep at the Wimbledon Championships 2022? Let us know your views in the comments below.
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