Serena
Williams of The United States celebrates victory during her women’s
singles fourth round match against Kaia Kanepi of Estonia on Day Seven
of the 2018 US Open at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center
on September 2, 2018, in the Flushing neighbourhood of the Queens
borough of New York City. PHOTO: Julian Finney/Getty Images/AFP
Six-time
champion Serena Williams survived a spirited challenge from unseeded
Kaia Kanepi to triumph 6-0, 4-6, 6-3 on Sunday and reach the
quarter-finals of the US Open.
The 23-time Grand Slam champion looked set to romp home when she seized the first set from Kanepi in just 18 minutes.
But
the hard-hitting Estonian, who took out world number one Simona Halep
in the first round, settled down in the second set, shaking off the
partisan crowd in a jammed Arthur Ashe Stadium to push Williams the rest
of the way.
“It wasn’t an easy match at all,” said Williams, who
let out what she called a “Serena scream” after ripping a backhand
crosscourt to hold serve in the opening game of the third set.
“Winning
a big game and a very important game and a really tight game, I think
it was just a relief,” said Williams, who took control with a break in
the next game and maintained that advantage until she fired a forehand
winner on her first match point.
Williams finished with 18 aces
and 47 total winners. A couple of loose points gifted Kanepi a break in
the first game of the second set, however, and she couldn’t get back on
terms.
Williams double-faulted on break point to send Kanepi up
5-2. The American would win the next two games, but she couldn’t find
another break and after fighting off two set points saw Kanepi knot the
match on her third chance.
“She’s had a lot of big wins in her career. I was just happy to get through it to be honest,” Williams said.
Williams
booked a quarter-final date with Karolina Pliskova, the eighth-seeded
Czech who beat Australian Ashleigh Barty 6-4, 6-4.
Pliskova defeated Williams in the semi-finals in New York in 2016.
Defending
champion Sloane Stephens, the third seed, eased past Elise Mertens 6-3,
6-3 to book a quarter-final rematch with Latvian Anastasija Sevastova.
Sevastova toppled seventh-seeded Elina Svitolina 6-3, 1-6, 6-0, leaving just two of the top 10 women’s seeds remaining.
Stephens,
runner-up to Halep at the French Open, was looking forward to taking on
Sevastova again in her bid to push ahead in her title defense.
“Obviously
it won’t be easy,” she said. “Quarter-finals of a Grand Slam is always
really tough. A big opportunity for both of us. Being defending
champion, being able to get to the quarter-finals again, is incredible.
I’m just going to try to keep building on that and keep going.”
Sevastova,
in the quarters for a third straight year, is hoping to turn the tables
on Stephens, who is trying to become the first woman to win
back-to-back US Open titles since Williams won three straight in 2012,
2013 and 2014.
“Maybe third time lucky for me,” Sevastova said.
‘Interesting match’
Stephens
could be headed for a semi-final meeting with Williams, although
Williams acknowledged that in Pliskova she’ll face a player with plenty
of weapons in addition to her big serve.
“She has a really good forehand. In fact, she doesn’t do a lot of things bad,” Williams said.
Plislkova’s
runner-up finish to Kerber in the 2016 US Open remains her best Grand
Slam finish, but Williams noted she briefly gained the number one world
ranking last year.
“She got there for a reason, she has a lot of strong parts to her game,” Williams said. “It will be an interesting match.”
Pliskova was looking forward to it, too.
“I
know she has a big game, but I have a big game too. I have a good
serve. So I have some weapons, too. For sure, there is always a chance
for me.”
Williams heads into the second week at Flushing Meadows
tracking two milestones: A seventh US Open title would see her break out
of a tie with Chris Evert for the Open Era record and also equal
Australian Margaret Court’s all-time record of 24 major titles.
She
hasn’t won a major since the 2017 Australian Open. After returning to
competition in March after the birth of daughter Olympia last September,
Williams is trying to avoid her first season since 2011 without a Grand
Slam title.
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