Serena Williams fell alongside her sister Venus Williams under the lights of Arthur Ashe Stadium on Thursday night in a doubles contest against Linda Noskova and Lucie Hradecka, but she'll keep her singles campaign going on Friday night.
Williams will square off with Australian and world No. 46 Ajla Tomljanovic, with the winner advancing to the round of 16.
The 29-year-old has been in good form of late, qualifying in Toronto and Cincinnati before reaching the second and fourth rounds of the events, respectively.
A win for Tomljanovic would match her third-best Grand Slam result in her career, with the best being her pair of Wimbledon quarterfinal appearances in the last two years.
Williams, of course, is still slated to retire at the end of the event, whenever that may be, but she didn't play like someone who was ready to retire on Wednesday.
As a +200 underdog, Williams hit 11 aces and won 73% of her first-serve points to lead her to a three-set victory over the world No. 2, Anett Kontaveit.
SERENA WILLIAMS KEEPS ON WINNING pic.twitter.com/1mwixyVjtw
— US Open Tennis (@usopen) September 1, 2022
In that match, Williams amassed 81% of the betting tickets and 58% of the handle at BetMGM, and she sure came through for bettors.
On Friday, Williams is a -146 favorite against Tomljanovic, and she's commanding a solid portion of the betting once again.
Per BetMGM, Williams has commanded 75% of the wagers and 79% of the handle as people flock to bet on the 23-time Slam champion.
Williams and Tomljanovic have never played in any professional match, so the feeling-out process will be interesting for both players.
Of course, Tomljanovic will also have to get used to one of the most raucous crowds the sport has seen in a long time.
