Williams faced off against Russia’s Ekaterina Makarova. Walking into Flushing Meadows as the World No. 1 for the fourth consecutive year, she is spiritedly gunning for Steffi Graff’s record of 186 weeks at the top.
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She knows how to play big matches on big courts.
The Argentine has been plagued by wrist injuries in recent months, but was a straight sets victor 6-4 6-4 7-6 (7-3) over compatriot Diego Schwartzman.
Murray is in the form of his life, having won Queen’s Club, a second Wimbledon title and Olympic singles gold and fresh off a runner-up finish in Cincinnati.
Williams, launching her latest bid to rewrite the record books, started strong and didn’t let up in 6-3, 6-3 victory over 29th ranked Ekaterina Makarova.
Serena Williams, meanwhile, is aiming to regain her US Open title from Italian Flavia Pennetta and made the flawless start last night. “At the end of the day, I didn’t play the game I needed to play to win and she did”, was Serena’s pokerfaced response.
At the Open, she has reached the fourth round or better five times, including a career-best quarter-final run in 2012.
If Williams wins a record seventh Open title, breaking a tie with Chris Evert in the Open Era, she’s No. 1 no matter what and will have been since February 18, 2013.
In the decisive ninth game of the first set, and with Williams serving, Makarova bowed out meekly, as Williams ripped her sixth, seventh and eighth aces, the latter a 102 miles per hour missile that sailed past Makarova and gave the 22-time Grand Slam singles champion the first set.
Murray looked at his devastating best as he beat stubborn Czech, Lukáš Rosol in straight sets (6-3, 6-2, 6-2).
Before the floodlights came up, Serenas elder sister Venus claimed a Grand Slam record of her own as her 6-2, 5-7, 6-4 victory over Ukraines Kateryna Kozlova marked her 72nd appearance in the main draw of a major.
The 34-year-old took home her seventh Wimbledon singles title in July, but is coming off a third-round loss at the 2016 Rio Olympics.
Earlier, fifth seed Simona Halep blasted her way into the second round by demolishing Kirsten Flipkens 6-0 6-2 and underlining her credentials as a potential grand slam victor.
Del Potro beat fellow Argentine Diego Schwartzman 6-4, 6-4, 7-6 (3) on Tuesday after missing the tournament the last two years because of three left wrist surgeries.
Jared Donaldson of the USA pulled off the biggest upset on the men’s side, a 4-6, 7-5, 6-4, 6-0 stunner against 12th seed David Goffin. “I wasn’t able to play much since Wimbledon”.
Another American, 19th-seeded Steve Johnson, is up next for del Potro.
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The sixth-seeded Nishikori reached his first Grand Slam final at the U.S. Open two years ago, losing to Marin Cilic at that stage.
