Tennis phenom Serena Williams with no crowd in sight reached the U.S. Open quarterfinals with a win over Maria Sakkari. It is her “100th at Arthur Ashe Stadium and the most of any player.”

The stadium “was nearly empty” on what would have usually been a crowd cheering day as Williams fans have always displayed over the years. The celebrated tennis star “was her own chorus on Monday in a victory over Sakkari, 6-3, 6-7 (6), 6-3 in the fourth round of the U.S. Open.”

“I’m always going to bring that fire and that passion and that Serena to the court,” said Williams, who always motivates herself, especially in this particular tournament.

Williams’ level of competitiveness shows on the court; she screamed out when she either lost or won points.

“I don’t feel like I’m super different without a crowd, but I’m super passionate,” Williams said after the match. “This is my job. This is what I wake up to do. This is what I train to do 365 days of the year.”

Williams still brought her best game to the sport she loves with no spectators, but joked, there was “less pressure without thousands of fans there desperate for her to win.”

“It’s also different because breaks are longer when the fans are here, the clapping is longer — I could have used a little bit of this in this match,” she said, laughing.

The win placed her into the quarterfinal of a Grand Slam tournament for the 53rd time.

Congratulations, Serena Williams!

By BSM Team

Photo credit: @WeAreTennis