Serena Williams reveals Tiger Woods was behind her return to tennis

Serena Williams produced an excellent performance against Anett Kontaveit (Frank Franklin II/AP)

Serena Williams hailed the influence of Tiger Woods after the golfing great persuaded her to return to the court and then cheered her on to victory over second seed Anett Kontaveit at the US Open.

This was a sparkling performance from the diamond-clad veteran, who produced her best tennis since reaching the Australian Open semi-finals last January to win 7-6 (4) 2-6 6-2 and reach the third round.