However, it is the record she shares with Steffi Graf, that of 22 Grand Slam singles titles that is uppermost in Williams’ mind, even if she is trying not to discuss it too much.
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“I felt like I didn’t play my best but I was fighting to the end for every ball”, she said.
“I feel this design, in particular, really is kind of like a superhero design”, Williams said.
Men’s eighth seed Dominic Thiem of Austria also enjoyed a birthday win, downing Pablo Carreno Busta of Spain 1-6, 6-4, 6-4, 7-5 on the day he turned 23.
Two past men’s champions, Andy Murray and Juan Martin del Potro, moved into the fourth round.
One of three players in the mix for the world number one ranking, Radwanska dispatched Garcia 6-2 6-3.
There’s only one American man left: Jack Sock, who faces No. 9 Jo-Wilfried Tsonga on Sunday.
Nishikori, who has dropped a set in each of his matches so far, will take on Ivo Karlovic for a quarter-final berth after the towering Croatian defeated 19-year-old American Jared Donaldson 6-4, 7-6 (7/3), 6-3.
Serena Williams has many records to her name, and she added another one to the list on Saturday.
A year ago, Williams succumbed to nerves while attempting to complete the calendar-year Grand Slam, falling to Italian Roberta Vinci in the semifinals. Williams argued that disparities persisted between the way male and female athletes were perceived and paid. “In my career I have just been, you know, here for so long”. “I have been being moving a lot”.
The Swede began better in the second set, holding serve to level at 1-1 but Williams was in no mood to mess around as she swept the next five games.
“Tennis players were really fortunate to have pioneers like Billie Jean King and really take a stance for women in tennis”, Williams said.
“It is actually a really good feeling”, Williams said of surpassing Martina Navratilova (306) and equalling 17-times Grand Slam champion Federer. So now we’re able to benefit and still preach the message and have an easier time.
Women: Angelique Kerber (2) vs. Petra Kvitova (14), Roberta Vinci (7) vs. Lesia Tsurenko, Madison Keys (8) vs.
The six-time US Open champion, whose number one ranking is under threat, next faces Kazakhstan’s Yaroslava Shvedova, a 6-2, 7-5 victor over China’s Zhang Shuai.
Serena Williams faced Sweden’s Larsson, who she had beaten in straight sets in both previous meetings.
Other duels for places in the last 16 see men’s third seed Stan Wawrinka a two-time Grand Slam champion and a two-time semi-finalist in NY, take on 64th-ranked Briton Daniel Evans while sixth-seeded Kei Nishikori, beaten finalist in 2014, plays France’s Nicolas Mahut.
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“That’s pretty awesome and what a place to do it, where everything first started”, the 34-year-old Williams, who clinched her maiden Grand Slam title at Flushing Meadows in 1999, said.
