Williams fired seven aces and hung tough with the world No. 52 by hitting her down the line targets when the opportunity presented itself. She held two break points for 3-1 in the final set, before Linette reeled off the final five games of the contest.
“You try to play like any other match, really. Look at the level she brought, she moved really great,” Linette assessed in her on-court interview.
“She was really hitting well, especially when she was running to the open space. It was really impressive and I had to stay calm to make sure that I’m a little bit more solid.”
A day earlier, Williams took the doubles court alongside Elina Svitolina. The two were knocked out by rising stars Alexandra Eala and Iva Jovic.
