THROWBACK: Serena overcomes Halep in fourth round thriller at 2019 Australian Open

Having not competed at the Australian Open since when she lifted the title in 2017, Serena Williams was on a mission to prove the naysayers wrong as she took on World No.1 Simona Halep in the fourth round of the 2019 edition.

Williams was returning from maternity leave, and had lost in the controversial final of the 2018 US Open to Naomi Osaka. The American was eager to add another Grand Slam title to her resume, after finishing runner-up at Wimbledon and the US Open the previous year.

Seeded 16th, Williams made quick work of her early-round opponents, which included Eugenie Bouchard and Dayana Yastremska. Her first real challenge came in the fourth round, where she faced top seed Simona Halep who had defeated elder sister Venus Williams in the previous round.

At the start of the match, Serena dominated her Romanian opponent to clinch the first set with just the loss of one game. However, Halep fought back to level the match at one set a-piece.

It came down to the final set, with both ladies relying on their power and shot-placement to outdo the other. Nonetheless, Williams experience in big moments prevailed, as she broke Halep to close out the match with a 6-1 4-6 6-4 victory.