Tiger, LeBron and the rest of the sports world react to Serena Williams' US Open upset of Anett Kontaveit

Zac Al-Khateeb

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Tiger, LeBron and the rest of the sports world react to Serena Williams' US Open upset of Anett Kontaveit image

The entire sports world tuned in to watch what could have been Serena Williams' final singles match on Wednesday night, and she did not shrink from their gaze.

Instead, Williams continued what is widely considered her swan song tournament at the US Open by upending world No. 2 Anett Kontaveit in three sets, 7-6(4), 2-6, 6-2. Williams showed resilience throughout, not only to win a tiebreak in the first set but also to put aside a demoralizing second set to thoroughly dominate her opponent in the third.

MORE: Serena has an awesome breakdown of her win: 'I'm just Serena'

Her victory, naturally, is one of the biggest storylines of the US Open, considering her quest for a 24th women's Grand Slam title is still alive and well. But more than that, people simply want to witness — and pay homage to — one of the sport's greatest competitors.

Indeed, one of Williams' close friends, Tiger Woods, was in attendance and was naturally excited to see her succeed:

Tiger wasn't the only one paying respect to Williams' greatness Wednesday. LeBron James added to his Instagram story to give Williams her due.

Below are some of the more notable reactions from throughout the sports world as Williams continues her run at the US Open:

Sports world reacts to Serena Williams' second-round win at US Open 2022

Zac Al-Khateeb

Zac Al-Khateeb Photo

Zac Al-Khateeb has been part of The Sporting News team since 2015 after earning his Bachelor's (2013) and Master's (2014) degrees in journalism at the University of Alabama. Prior to joining TSN, he covered high school sports and general news in Alabama. A college sports specialist, Zac has been a voter for the Biletnikoff Award and Heisman Trophy since 2020.