Sports/Reuters picNEW YORK, Sept 4 – Serena Williams sped past another milestone yesterday as her 307th Grand slam match win took her past Martina Navratilova’s record and into the fourth round of the US Open. She had a half-dozen aces, bringing her tournament total to 31.
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Sixth-seeded Kei Nishikori defeated Nicolas Mahut 4-6, 6-1, 6-2, 6-2 to advance to the fourth round of the U.S. Open. “It’s just taking one step at a time”.
But Halep, seeded fifth, fought back in a final set that took more than an hour to seal a 6-1 2-6, 6-4 success, with a crucial break in the 10th game of the third set.
And, if you want to hear something that should frighten Williams’ upcoming opponents next week, this is how she described her first week at the U.S. Open when asked if she could give herself a grade: “I feel OK”.
From there on out, it was smooth sailing for Serena-who imposed her will with 24 winners and a 53 percent conversion rate on receiving points.
The 11th-seeded Spaniard’s 6-4, 6-3 victory over the 20th-seeded Vesnina marks the third time she has reached the fourth round or better at Flushing Meadows.
The American is aiming to win a 23rd Grand Slam singles title, which would make her surpass Steffi Graf as the most successful female tennis athlete in the Open Era.
Larsson, who equaled her career-best finish at the U.S. Open by virtue of defeating Denisa Allertova in the second round, proved just why she is now in the midst of a career-best season, getting on the scoreboard a game later, much to the delight of a very appreciative crowd inside Arthur Ashe Stadium.
“It is actually a really good feeling”, she said Saturday.
Juan Martin Del Potro is rolling back the years, with the 2009 US Open champion into the fourth round where he will face youngster Dominic Thiem.
“I don’t know what to expect”, she said wearily, “I’ve never been on this train”.
Latvian tennis player Anastasija Sevastova wore a Yankees cap to her news conference after she reached her first major quarterfinal. A win at this year’s U.S. Open would be Williams’ seventh, which would break a tie with Chris Evert for the most ever.
Halep threw down, and apparently cracked, her racket after losing a point late in the final set.
“It’s definitely one match at a time”, she said.
But Babos, unable to convert two game points in the 10th, finally surrendered with a whimper with a double fault on match point.
Halep, who fell in the semi-finals to eventual champion Flavia Pennetta a year ago, will play Spain’s Carla Suarez Navarro for place in the quarter-finals.
The Williams sisters met in the quarterfinals past year when Serena won in three sets, 6-2, 1-6 and 6-3.
Serena’s sister Venus, seeded sixth, advanced comfortably by beating No. 26 Laura Siegemund 6-1, 6-2.
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Big things were expected from the Nick Kyrgios, but a hip injury forced him to retire from his match against Ukraine’s Illya Marchenko.
