New York: Serena and Venus Williams set up a 30th career meeting here Wednesday at the US Open tennis tournament even as former Andy Murray’s campaign came to a halt in the second round with a four- set loss against Fernando Verdasco.
Six-time champion Serena eased into Friday’s third round encounter against her sister with a 6-2, 6-2 win over German World No.101 Carina Witthoeft on the back of 30 winners and 13 aces. Venus, the 2000 and 2001 champion, made the third round for the 17th time with a 6-4, 7-5 victory over Camila Giorgi of Italy.
“Friday will be incredibly hard,” said Serena before jokingly hitting back at Venus’s claim that when they last met at a Slam in the final of the 2017 Australian Open her sister had an advantage as it was ‘two against one’. That was a reference to Serena being in the early stages of pregnancy with her daughter Olympia. Currently Serena enjoys a 17-12 head-to-head record against Venus.
Defending champion and third seed Sloane Stephens also made the third round with a marathon 4-6, 7-5, 6-2 win over Ukraine qualifier Anhelina Kalinina in a match that lasted 166 minutes.
Meanwhile Murray, the 2012 US Open winner, who was playing his first Grand Slam since Wimbledon of last year, is still fighting to find full fitness after hip surgery in January. The Scot’s limp was noticeable at times as he fell 7-5, 2-6, 6-4, 6-4 to Spain’s Fernando Verdasco, whose only win over Murray in 14 prior meetings was at the 2009 Australian Open.
However, another man returning from injury, Stan Wawrinka survived the searing heat and a spirited Ugo Humbert to reach the third round.
“I knew it would be a difficult match,” said Wawrinka, who was pleased to find himself feeling fit after prevailing 7-6(7/5), 4-6, 6-3, 7-5 in three hours and 21 minutes.
Verdasco booked a third-round meeting with another former champion, third-seeded Argentine Juan Martin del Potro who beat American Denis Kudla 6-3, 6-1, 7-6 (7/4).
World No.1 Rafael Nadal however, did not face the searing heat as he played in the evening and easily beat Vasek Pospisil 6-3, 6-4, 6-2. Fifth-seeded South African Kevin Anderson, runner-up to Nadal last year, made quick work of France’s Jeremy Chardy, 6-2, 6-4, 6-4.