Seven-time Grand Slam champion Serena Williams gestured ”number one” with her index finger after rolling back the years to gatecrash the Australian Open quarterfinals on Sunday.
The unseeded Williams, a winner here in 2003 and 2005, crushed eleventh seed Jelena Jankovic 6-3, 6-2 in front of an adoring crowd at the Rod Laver Arena after passing the sternest test yet in her comeback from injury.
The 25-year-old American, who has been accused of lacking fitness, still had a spring in her step after an 83 minute victory in humid conditions, letting loose several celebratory ”woo-hoos” as she prepared to leave the court.
”It was absolutely sensational, you know I had a lot of fun out here and I just enjoy Rod Laver Arena a lot, I play some of my best tennis here,” she said.
”I’m really enjoying myself and I feel really good.”
Williams, whose layoff has seen her slip to 81 in the world rankings, hit shots with her old venom, served powerfully and attacked ferociously as she dominated the match.
Just as importantly, she avoided the lapses of concentration and slow starts that have marred her previous outings here, where she was almost eliminated by fifth seed Nadia Petrova before staging a remarkable comeback.
Williams said she never listened to critics who wrote her off and even after her early elimination from a lead-up tournament in Hobart continued to draw on the positive beliefs instilled by her father Richard.
”I have it in me, I believe in my game and more than anything I believe in me,” she said. ”It doesn’t matter what people say or people write at the end of the day I’m my biggest fan [with] maybe my dad.
”But other than that you have to always be your biggest fan. I’m just working on staying positive.”
She said she had picked up a cold but did not believe it would impact on her game.
Williams will meet Israeli 16th seed Shahar Peer in the quarterfinals in a half of the draw thrown wide open by the shock elimination of defending champion Amelie Mauresmo earlier on Sunday.
If Williams overcomes Peer, she faces either Mauresmo’s conquerer, the unseeded Czech Lucie Safarova, or tenth seed Nicole Vaidisova in the semifinal.
The win over Jankovic adds credibility to Williams’ declarations that she is back among the game’s elite.
The fiesty Serb world number 12 is considered one of the rising stars of women’s tennis, winning her first tournament of the year in Auckland and pushing Kim Clijsters all the way in the final of the Sydney International.
She had also beaten Williams in two of their three previous meetings, but admitted that this time Williams’ intensity caught her off guard.
”In the first few games she would hit a slow ball, I would hit it back, and then all of a sudden a 200 mile ball comes so fast,” said Jankovic.
Williams said she wanted to improve her ranking later in the year but for now was content to strike fear into her potential opponents here.
”I like being a dangerous floatie, it’s fun,” she said. – Sapa-AFP