Five-time champion Serena Williams reached her first grand slam quarter-final of the year at the US Open yesterday, setting up a clash with Flavia Pennetta in a duel between the two oldest women left in the draw.
World No1 Williams, the two-time defending champion, eased past world number 50 Kaia Kanepi, 6-3, 6-3, for a fourth win over the Estonian.
“It’s my first quarter-final of the year at the majors – at last I did it,” said the 32-year-old American, who had fallen in the fourth round in Australia, the third round at Wimbledon and suffered a second round French Open exit.
“It was a tough match today. Kaia hits the ball very hard and moves the ball around really well. I wanted to stay relaxed and told myself that whatever happens, Serena, you’re still in the doubles.”
Italian 11th seed Pennetta, also 32, reached her fifth quarter-final in New York with a 7-5, 6-2 victory over Australian 29th seed Casey Dellacqua.
Pennetta made the semi-finals in 2013, where she was defeated by Victoria Azarenka, but despite having a 5-0 losing record against Williams, she refuses to believe that the outcome of tomorrow’s quarter-final is a foregone conclusion.
“Of course she’s better than me, but I still believe I can beat her. If she doesn’t have a good day I can do that,” said Pennetta of an opponent who has dropped just 17 games in four rounds so far.
Meanwhile, Novak Djokovic didn’t let Philipp Kohlschreiber stand in the way of another grand slam quarter-final berth, registering a straight-sets win over the German.
The World No1 Serb defeated Kohlschreiber 6-1, 7-5, 6-4 on another muggy day at Flushing Meadows, reaching the last eight at the US Open for the eighth straight year. It’s his 22nd successive major quarter-final, a run that stretches back to Kohlschreiber’s victory over him in the third round of the 2009 French Open.
The Wimbledon champion looked headed for a short day’s work when he raced through the first set in 25 minutes.
But Kohlschreiber dug in, keeping his nose in front on serve and forcing Djokovic to fend off a set point in the 10th game of the second. Djokovic did so with a stinging forehand passing shot to end a rally that sent the crowd wild, then broke Kohlschreiber for a 6-5 lead.
Serving for the set Djokovic saved another break point with an off-speed service winner and having wrapped up the second set he broke Kohlschreiber to open the third and marched home from there.
