Serena Williams has overcome a bout of creative block and quick-starting teenager Anastasia Potapova to book a return to the Australian Open fourth round on Friday.
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As a modern art aficionado and unafraid to turn a brush to canvas herself, Williams appreciates the need to find a way even when the inspiration deserts her early on.
For the seven-time Australian Open champion, that came when her back was against the wall at 3-5 in Friday’s opening set, before she ground out a 7-6(5) 6-2 result.
A point had not been played before Russian world No.101 Potopova told her coach to change seats, while after the opening game, Williams errantly took her seat at the change of ends.
Seat shuffles sorted, it was Potapova who had the early chances as Williams survived an eight-minute struggle to hold her opening serve.
The American was far from her best as breaks were traded, but was handed a lifeline from the former junior Wimbledon champion at the brink.
Serving for the set, tension gripped the teenager as she threw down five double faults and a scream of “what’s going on?” as she was broken at 5-3.
Again the Russian was on the cusp of a one-set lead when she surged to 5-3 in the tiebreak, only for Williams to find that inspiration to reel off four straight points.
Creative block cleared, it was a more relaxed Williams who rolled through the second set to secure a fourth-round showdown with big-hitting Belarusian Aryna Sabalenka.
“I came out a little bit not [out] of the starting blocks like I would have wanted to and like I have been since I’ve been playing here, but you know it’s about surviving and playing better every round,” Williams said.
“It was good to get through that match. The first set was extremely tight. I was a little tight, but it worked out. Was able to play a little more free in the second set.”
The pursuit of Grand Slam title No.24 rolls on, and afterwards Williams shed light on her creative streak and some of the works, which hold pride of place in the art gallery of her Miami home.
“I love African American art and I love supporting that. Some amazing artists – Titus Kaphar is amazing,” Williams said. “I’m really different. You can’t tell?
“I just wanted to create this whole space, this really cool gallery, just wanted to be different and it worked and Venus has a whole company, she’s amazing, she helped me out.
“I’m always looking at pieces and different art galleries. I love modern art. I’m the kind of girl that walks into a place and sees like this whole canvas with a line on it and I’m like ‘brilliant’.”
Williams wipes the canvas clear ahead of her next clash with the in-form seventh seed Aryna Sabalenka, an opponent she has never faced.
“Well, she hits very hard. She has a big, big power game,” Williams said. “She's a big girl, strong like myself, so I think it will be a really good match, with no crowd.”
It will be a vastly different prospect against an opponent with 18 wins from 19 matches and already producing some of her finest work at AO2021.