US Open: Serena, Djokovic both advance to quarterfinals
Two-time defending champion Serena Williams saw little resistance in her fourth round match at the US Open, handling unseeded Kaia Kanepi in straight sets 6-3, 6-3.
Kanepi, who reached the fourth round after her surprising straight-set upset of No. 15 Carla Suarez Navarro, was no match for the tournament's top seed. In just over an hour, Williams battered her opponent with a string of backhand volleys and powerful serves, at one point topping out at 119 MPH.
Having won the first set 6-3 and up 5-3 in the second, Williams broke Kanepi to take the match and secure a spot in the quarterfinals against Italy's No. 11 Flavia Pennetta. Williams won 84 percent of her first serves and bashed eight aces to zero for Kanepi. She also broke Kanepi five times.
"She plays really well, she's plays incredibly hard," Williams said of Kanepi. "I said Serena, whatever happens, you're still in doubles."
The win, while seemingly unremarkable, guarantees Williams her first major quarterfinal appearance this season, and with several of the top seeds already out, her path to an 18th Grand Slam has become significantly easier.
"I finally made a quarterfinal this year!" a relieved Williams said with her arms raised. "I think I felt it in my serving game ... Can I please get to a Grand Slam quarterfinal?"
Monday's win ensures she'll do just that.
Top seed Djokovic advances to quarters:
Through four rounds at the US Open, Novak Djokovic is flawless.
Djokovic entered Monday's fourth round match against Germany's Philipp Kohlschreiber, the No. 22 seed, having not dropped a set at the year's final major, a perfect 9-for-9. He continued that pattern, clinically ousting Kohlschreiber 6-1, 7-5, 6-4.
After a dominant opening set, Djokovic saved set point in the second with a killer forehand and eventually went on to take a 2-0 lead. After the point, he implored the crowd to get up and cheer. Kohlschreiber battled in the third, working it to 5-4 before Djokovic, on serve, eventually took the final game and match.
It took Djokovic just over two hours to win on Monday, despite hot and sticky conditions in New York.
"It was very humid for both of us, a lot of long rallies," Djokovic said after the win. "The match could've gone either way, especially in the second set."
It's Djokovic's 22nd straight Grand Slam quarterfinals appearance, a mind-numbing stat when you think about it. Asked how he sustains that streak, Djokovic said "I love this sport, I play with a lot of passion. ... I have a great team around me, encouraging me. That drives me."
Aside from that streak, Djokovic appears to be working on a new tradition of sorts. He danced following his second round win to Iggy Azalea's "Fancy" (she liked it so much, she plugged the story, herself), and he was once again asked to break it down in front of the Open crowd.
Much to the crowd's delight, he obliged.
"Thank you all for coming out. Because you've been so nice, I'm gonna gve you a little dance with the music."
The seven-time Grand Slam winner is seeking his second US Open crown (2011). He'll face the winner of Jo-Wilfried Tsonga or Andy Murray in the quarters.
No. 11 Pennetta advances to quarters
Flavia Pennetta is on a quest to reach her second consecutive US open semifinal, and she got one step closer Monday as she beat No. 29 seeded Casey Dellacqua 7-5, 6-2.
It wasn't easy, however, as Pennetta and Dellacqua traded games in the first set, and Dellacqua even led 5-4 at one point in the first set. But Pennetta settled down and asserted her dominance, taking nine of the final 11 games en route to victory.
Dellacqua, who was playing in her fourth career major championship fourth round, was undone by unforced errors, committing 35 to Pennetta's 18.
Pannetta's road to her second career Grand Slam semifinal certainly doesn't get any easier, as she has a date with No. 1 seed Serena Williams in the next round.
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