On a rainy night in New York City, 17-year-old Caty McNally went head-to-head with tennis superstar Serena Williams, 37. What started out as an unsure first few games in round two of the U.S. Open from the Cincinnati native quickly turned into shock and awe as she came back to win the first set against the 23-time Grand Slam winner, 7-5.
Holding onto her superstar status, Williams, 20 years McNally's senior, returned to dominate with 6-3, 6-1 in the subsequent sets. But the world was blown away by the 17-year-old who could return Williams's powerful serves like she'd been doing it her whole life.
“I’m really just happy with the way I overall played, the way I carried myself out on that stage,” McNally said at the U.S. Open. “I walked out there, and I had the chills. That was the most insane atmosphere. I’ve never played on a court nowhere near that big, especially a night match. I couldn’t have asked for anything better. It was just an unbelievable experience, something that I’ll never forget for the rest of my life.”
Williams, almost 38, won her first major title before McNally was even born. “Are you really 17 years old?” Williams said to McNally in the locker room after their match was finished, according to USA Today Sports.