That’s because 19-year-old qualifier Jared Donaldson’s run ended with a straight-set loss to 37-year-old Ivo Karlovic, the oldest man to reach the fourth round in NY since Jimmy Connors was 39 in 1991. The way the 34-year-old American is playing, she is more than likely to break Federer’s record in her next match. Angelique Kerber, the No. 2 seed, could overtake Williams at No. 1 if the two meet in the final (seemingly a probability) and Kerber wins.
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This year, Williams looks much more at ease.
The two have met eight times previously, with Williams winning six of those matches. It all ended just a few points later when Babos double-faulted on match point.
“That cost me in the first and second sets”.
Having regained the break to level the third at 3-3, Halep was unable to convert two break points in the eighth game. Venus would not only have to get past Pliskova, but likely No. 4 Agnieszka Radwanska as well.
“It definitely feels solid”, Williams said of her shoulder.
Sixth seed Venus, twice the champion in NY, faces Karolina Pliskova, the big-serving 10th seed from the Czech Republic. Although their matches weren’t exactly barn-burners, there was quite a bit of excitement on Day 6.
Serena’s sister Venus, seeded sixth, advanced comfortably by beating No. 26 Laura Siegemund 6-1, 6-2. And she doesn’t even talk about it. Karolina Pliskova now improves to a 4-0 record over Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova in their career singles head to head matchup.
Williams, 34, won her first grand slam at Flushing Meadows in 1999 and is on the verge of a record seventh USA title.
That sounds like bad news for upcoming opponents, starting with 52nd-ranked Yaroslava Shvedova, who advanced to the round of 16 in NY for the first time by beating Zhang Shuai 6-2 7-5. Konjuh won the match through the service game with 38 of 48 (79%) first serve points won to just 28 of 41 (68%) for Varvara Lepchenko. She had a half-dozen aces, bringing her tournament total to 31. She smacked seven return winners. If the sisters meet in the last four, they would meet again in the tennis Grand Slam in New York for the second straight year.
Monfils, who has enjoyed a run of success this hard court season, maintained his impressive form with a 6-3, 6-2, 6-3 romp that kicked off a busy day for the French men’s contingent at Flushing Meadows. She acknowledged she didn’t play her best, saying “I don’t know how I came back”.
Serena Williams is Tiger Woods in a tennis skirt. Serena Williams fired 6 aces to none against Johanna Larsson.
Those who thought Larsson had a chance to beat Williams on Saturday probably think they got a great bargain at the concession stands.
That was Grand Slam victory number 307 for Williams – the most by a woman in the Open era.
Yaroslava Shvedova advances to her first ever US Open fourth round appearance by defeating China’s world no. 51 Shuai Peng.
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On the women’s side, last year’s runner-up Roberta Vinci defeated Lesia Tsurenko 7-6 (5), 6-2 to go through to the quarterfinals.
