Video, Photos: Serena's ankle injury returns, may hamper US Open title run

Serena Williams

Serena falls to the ground after the accident, holding the ankle

Serena Williams after beating Petra Martic

Serena Williams’ troublesome ankle injury returned on Sunday evening during her match against No. 22 seed Petra Martic.

The injury came late in the match, which she won 6-3 6-4.

The 23-time Grand Slam champion was leading when she rolled her ankle when bursting to the net. She fell to the ground, requiring treatment moments later in order to continue to play.

Serena rolling her ankle as she moved to the net
Serena falls to the ground after the accident, holding the ankle

After some heavy strapping up, Williams returned to the court with a double fault but composed herself to hang on and book her spot in the quarter-finals.

(Watch the moment she rolled her ankle:

The ankle roll was reminiscent of the left ankle injury she picked up in the final set of her Australian Open quarter-final against Karolina Pliskova and doubts will be cast over whether she can go on to win a seventh Slam title on home soil.

After the 6-3 6-3 win in an hour and 32 minutes, the 37-year-old said: ‘Yeah I just rolled it, I don’t know why, I was volleying and it just went over.

‘It was a little frustrating but I wanted to get it compressed really fast, that’s what I did.

‘It affected me a little mentally because I’ve had a rough year with injuries.’

Williams will meet China’s Wang Qiang in the last-eight after Wang stunned second seed, Australian Ashleigh Barty.

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