This fourth round appearance will be just the second for Venus Williams in the past six years. This should be a rather quick match for the American.
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The 2009 champion in NY missed 2 1/2 years’ worth of major tournaments because of three operations on his left wrist, and he’s ranked only 142nd, which is why he needed a wild-card invitation to get into the field.
Venus Williams, victor of the US Open in 2000 and 2001, is also through as she defeated Germany’s Laura Siegemund 6-1, 6-2 to set up a meeting with Russian Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova in round four.
Serena and Venus have been pictured preparing for their respective US Open fourth round matches side by side at Flushing Meadows. The last time there were two British men in the fourth round of a Grand Slam tournament was at Wimbledon in 2002 with Tim Henman and Greg Rusedski.
Scottish second seed Andy Murray was pushed hard by Italian Paulo Lorenzi before winning 7-6 5-7 6-2 6-3 in the evening feature match.
In her second big upset of this U.S. Open, Sevastova beat 13th-seeded Johanna Konta 6-4, 7-5 on Sunday to become the first Latvian woman to make the final eight at a Grand Slam since Larisa Savchenko in 1994.
“Each number I’m definitely proud of”, said Williams. “Hopefully, that can work out for other females, as well”.
“It is actually a really good feeling”, Williams said of surpassing Martina Navratilova (306) and equalling 17-times Grand Slam champion Federer. Her reply: “I prefer the word “one of the greatest ATHLETES” of all time”.
After that, Williams played only one event before the U.S. Open, losing in the third round of the Olympics.
“I feel OK”, Williams said. “It’s just taking one step at a time”.
He’s 5,470 miles away from home, but Juan Martin del Potro is being treated like he was born and bred in New York City. Its always something special, thats for sure, said Wawrinka, who had his left ankle taped after twisting it during the match.
“This particular situation I never had in my Grand Slam career”.
Wozniacki, her ranking down to 74th following a series of injuries, hadn’t won four matches in a row since March 2015. Murray faces No. 22 Grigor Dimitrov in the round of 16. Williams was asked about her neon pink sleeves on the court and again later in the interview room.
Serena Williams came to NY with concerns about her sore right shoulder and has answered those questions, emphatically. “Promising players coming up playing very good tennis”.
He takes on eighth-seeded Dominic Thiem, who turned 23 on Saturday and is grappling with the wear and tear of a long season.
Wawrinka, a two-time Grand Slam victor and twice a semifinalist in NY, had the closest call, saving a match-point in a 4-6, 6-3, 6-7 (6), 7-6 (8), 6-2 victory over Britain’s Dan Evans in a four-hour epic.
Thiem will play the victor of the match later Saturday between Juan Martin del Potro and 11th-seeded David Ferrer.
In 2000 and 2001, Venus beat her younger sister in the final, which in 2001 was moved to primetime on Saturday night to take advantage of the growing popularity of the beaded sisters whose father, Richard Williams, taught them how to play on the public courts of Compton, Calif.
“I’m really proud that I could win it and come back from 3-1 down in the third set”. It all ended just a few points later when Babos double-faulted on match point.
“There’s no shot for me that’s more exciting than hitting an ace”, she said.
“I don’t know how I came back”.
Fifth-seeded Simona Halep faces No. 11 Carla Suarez Navarro in the other women’s match.
Juan Martin del Potro, whose career was almost derailed by injuries after his 2009 US Open triumph, fired 37 winners in a 7-6 (7/3), 6-2, 6-3 victory over Spanish 11th seed David Ferrer.
Murray takes on Bulgarian Grigor Dimitrov, a 6-4, 6-1, 3-6, 6-2 victor over Portugals Joao Sousa, for a quarterfinal berth.
Third seed Stan Wawrinka, sixth seed Kei Nishikori and women’s fourth seed Agnieszka Radwanska are also in fourth-round action. Now Williams can eclipse it with four more wins here, 12 months after leaving here disappointed in the semi-finals after missing out on a calendar grand slam.
Williams made Open Era history as she eased past Johanna Larsson at Flushing Meadows on Saturday. At 36, she was the oldest woman in the field.
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Nick Kyrgios, the 14th-seeded firebrand from Australia, closes the show on Ashe against Illya Marchenko a Ukrainian ranked 47 spots below him.
