Serena Williams advances at Australian Open

ISTANBUL (AA) – Seven-time Australia Open champion Serena Williams has defeated 19-year-old Anastasia Potapova in the third round of the 2021 tournament in Melbourne.

“Respect. @serenawilliams toughs out a 7-6(5) 6-2 win over Potapova to keep her pursuit of a 24th Grand Slam title alive,” said the Australian tournament’s official Twitter account late Thursday.

“Congratulations @serenawilliams on your 90th #AusOpen victory,” it added.

“It was the only thing that we can do [during] social distance for almost a whole year of COVID. So I was like I will never put my daughter in tennis and then it's the best socially distanced sport,” Williams, 39, said after the match.

On Friday Melbourne, the tournament’s host and Australia’s second-biggest city, placed a five-day lockdown to restrain a new COVID-19 outbreak.

Due to the lockdown, this year’s tournament is being held without fans.