After winning a difficult three-set match against Arantxa Rus, Serena Williams faced Maria Sakkari in her 2nd appearance at the Western & Southern Open that takes place in New York this year.

Sakkari showed to the 23-time Grand Slam champion that she doesn't fear her already in the first set. Serena was leading already 5-3 in the first set and serving for the set. However, Sakkari broke her and it seemed that the set will be decided by the tie-break.

But that didn't happen. Williams showed her experience and won the first set 7-5 after 48 minutes. The second set saw a very similar story. The American was leading 5-3 and serving for the match, but she failed to win her service game again.

This time, Sakkari took the set to the tie-break and she succeeded to win it 7-5 to force the third decisive set. There, as Serena later admitted, she had no energy to turn the match around.

"It was tough," Serena said after the match. "I literally should have won that match. There was no excuse. It was hard, but I had so many opportunities to win, and I have to figure that one out, like how to start winning those matches again. There is really no excuses, to be honest.

"I started cramping, but I shouldn't have been in that situation. I don't think that helps mentally when it's like, you know the match is over and you have won the match, and now your legs were already tired and now they are even more tired, and now it's even more tired," Williams admitted. "I literally put myself in this situation. You know, it's like dating a guy that you know sucks. That's literally what I keep doing out here. It's like I have got to get rid of this guy. It just makes no sense. It's frustrating."

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