Bernat Armangue/Associated Press
ROME — When Kiki Bertens stepped onto Arthur Ashe Stadium four years ago at the United States Open as the second-round opponent of Serena Williams, who was bidding for a Grand Slam, she felt unworthy of the occasion.
“I thought I was really a player who really didn’t like to be on the big stage,” Bertens recalled in an interview. “Going into that match, I was only hoping to get a few games, and it felt like everyone was laughing at me for playing there.”
Bertens, then 23 and ranked 110th, pushed the top-ranked Williams into a tiebreaker in the first set.