Reuters
New York, Sept 2: After 17 trips to Flushing Meadows and six US Open titles Serena Williams did something Thursday she had never done before – win a match indoors.
With the new high-tech retractable roof over Arthur Ashe Stadium slammed shut because of persistent rain, Serena swept past American compatriot Vania King 6-3, 6-3 in a tidy 65 minutes to ease into the third round.
“It was a little different playing with Ashe closed but it still feels great,” said Serena. “It’s very, very loud out there. It’s definitely different because everywhere you play is really quiet. Here it’s super loud.”
Indoors or outdoors, night or day, rain or shine, it has made little difference to Serena at the US Open, the 34-year-old having now racked up 86 victories at Flushing Meadows.
Serena arrived at the year’s final Grand Slam with concerns swirling around a sore shoulder that hampered her at the Rio Olympics and forced her to pull out of a tournament in Cincinnati.
But she put any doubts about her fitness to rest, blasting 13 aces past King while hitting 38 winners to just four by her opponent.
Meanwhile China’s Zhang Shuai, who broke through with a stunning run to this year’s Australian Open quarterfinals, advanced to the third round with a 6-3, 6-3 victory over 2011 champion Samantha Stosur. She next faces 52nd-ranked Yaroslava Shvedova of Kazakhstan, who routed China’s Wang Qiang 6-0 6-1.
Also advancing was fourth-seeded Agnieszka Radwanska who survived an early deficit and the big serve of Briton Naomi Broady. The Pole saved four set points and claimed a marathon opening set tiebreak 11-9 to post a 7-6 (11-9), 6-3 rain-delayed victory in Louis Armstrong Stadium.
The Pole fell behind the 82nd-ranked Broady 2-5 in the first set before rallying back. “I’m just so pleased I could come back in that first set,” Radwanska said in an on-court interview. “A lot of trouble, a lot of running, a lot of struggling. But two sets for me.”
Meanwhile sixth-seeded Venus Williams stayed on track for a possible semifinal clash with sister Serena by sprinting past German Julia Goerges 6-2, 6-3 to reach the third round.
Venus, 36, relied on her big serve when pressed under the roof at Arthur Ashe Stadium, turning away four of five breakpoints held by the 64th-ranked Goerges.
Romanian fifth seed Simona Halep also advanced to the third round with a 6-3, 6-4 win over Lucie Safarova.