However, Williams couldn’t capitalise with a tame forehand unforced error heading into the net, and a backhand error from King handed Williams another match point, and the top seed didn’t waste the second chance by claiming the match with a forehand victor in the corner to clinch victory, 6-3, 6-3 in 1 hour and 4 minutes.
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The world number one has never lost before round three at the US Open and, with Beyonce and Jay-Z watching on in Arthur Ashe Stadium, she was delighted to reach Navratilova’s mark.
Asked about the feat, the 22-time major victor said: “I knew it was on the horizon”. What really matters is I got the win. Like this one’s kind of cool, to win 306.
“Martina was just an incredible legend”.
“I played great tennis, I’m very happy”, said Nishikori.
Serena Williams is coming off a straight sets win over Vania King that took 18 games to decide.
“Sometimes I don’t even know that I’m hitting these milestones”.
“I think Serena’s a perfectionist”.
Would like to take one more step, several more steps.
Williams’s victory against an over-matched King may have been one of her easiest, the world number one in complete control from the outset, looking like a champion who never had to shift out of first gear.
“I just didn’t have a great day”, was her assessment. But it’s always good to get a win when you’re not – I definitely don’t think I played the way I did in my first round [a 6-3 6-3 win over Ekaterina Makarova].
“It’s definitely different because everywhere you play is really quiet”.
Williams will now face Sweden’s Johanna Larsson for a place in the last 16 and the 34-year-old insists her troublesome right shoulder is still holding up.
Williams was looking to carry on her momentum in the opening game of the second set by building a 15-30 lead on King’s serve with a blistering forehand return victor, however, a 17 shot rally ensued with the top seed portraying good defence but a backhand error out wide followed by a failed drop shot attempt from Williams and a backhand error out wide let King off to the hook to hold serve. “It’s like I want to show them that I’m good at my job, too”.
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Elsewhere, Serena’s sister Venus also progressed, along with fourth seed Agnieszka Radwanska and fifth seed Simona Halep.
