Serena Williams progressed to the third round of the French Open by triumphing over Mihaela Buzarnescu from Romania in a challenging three-set match on Wednesday. The final score was 6-3, 5-7, 6-1.
While Serena Williams has clinched three grand slam titles at Roland Garros in the past, her performances have been inconsistent this year. This victory marks her third win of the clay season in 2021. At the start of the year, she had a strong showing at the Australian Open, defeating two top 10 players but ultimately falling to the current world no. 1, Naomi Osaka, in the semi-finals.
Following her Australian Open campaign, Williams faced an early exit in the Italian Open, losing to world no. 42 Nadia Podoroska in the first round. She also only made it to the second round of the Emilia-Romagna Open, where she was defeated in straight sets by Katerina Siniakova. In her recent match against Buzarnescu, Williams started strong by delivering powerful serves and claiming the first set. Although Buzarnescu fought back and took the second set by adapting to Williams’s serve, Williams regained her composure, reduced her errors, and secured the third set along with the match victory.
With the withdrawal of Naomi Osaka, Petra Kvitova’s exit due to injury, and Bianca Andreescu’s departure from the tournament, Serena Williams now stands as the second highest-ranked player in her half of the draw.
