Serena Williams didn’t drop a game on Monday, as she moved into the quarterfinals of the US Open. Williams beat Andrea Hlavackova 6-0, 6-0 in 57 minutes.
“She was fighting really hard,” Williams said. “The match is never over until you shake hands. There is always a comeback available. So I didn’t want to give her that opportunity to try to come back, especially her in particular. She was getting so pumped up and she never gave up. I thought that was really incredibly positive.”
Williams had 31 winners and just seven unforced errors.
“The first point of the whole match,” Hlavackova explained, “when I served, and she returned, like, a 100 mph forehand return, I was like, ‘OK, I know who I’m playing. You don’t have to prove it to me. I know.’”
“My coach warned me to not go on the court and play for a score,” Hlavackova said, by which she meant just trying to keep it as close as possible. “I was in the match. I was trying to figure out how to win. And when it was, like, 6-love, 4-love, 30-love, I was thinking, ‘Well, I’m not playing for a score, but one game wouldn’t hurt.’”
Williams will next face former No. 1 Ana Ivanovic, who crushed Tsvetana Pironkova 6-0, 6-4.
“There were some good moments and some tough ones, but it’s a process. I understand it better now,” she said. “There are times when you realise that it’s exactly what it is - it’s a process. You can’t have everything at the same time. You have to be consistent on practice courts and then in the matches.”
Vinci stuns Radwanska
Roberta Vinci knocked off second-seeded Agnieszka Radwanska 6-1, 6-4. Vinci ran to her box to celebrate after breaking the Pole’s serve to end the match, tears in her eyes.
“Tears, certainly, of joy, of nerves, of fear at the end,” she said. “All beautiful actually, really beautiful emotions.”
Radwanska was trying to become the first Polish woman to reach the quarterfinals at this tournament in the Open era. “She’s really playing much better this year than before,” Radwanska said. “Really had some good results this year.”
Murray tames Ranoic
Andy Murray, muted 15th-seeded Milos Ranoic’s big serve and won 6-4, 6-4, 6-2 to reach an eighth consecutive major quarterfinal.
No. 3 Murray will play No. 12 Marin Cilic of Croatia, who put together a 7-5, 6-4, 6-0 victory over Martin Klizan of Slovakia. Murray has won 6 of 7 matches against Cilic over their careers, but the lone loss came at the US Open in 2009.
Roger Federer advanced with even less work when Mardy Fish pulled out of their fourth round match for precautionary reasons.
“I was reluctant to do so, but am following medical advisement,” Fish said about his withdrawal in a statement. “I had a good summer and look forward to resuming my tournament schedule in the fall.”
“I am really sorry for Mardy. I just want to wish him a speedy recovery,” Federer said in a statement. “We all want to see him back on tour soon.”
Federer will meet sixth-seeded Tomas Berdych, who defeated 11th-seeded Nicolas Almagro 7-6 (4), 6-4, 6-1.
The 10th-seeded Sara Errani defeated Angelique Kerber 7-6 (5), 6-3. Kerber made a surprise run to the US Open semifinals a year ago and had advanced to at least the quarters at the French Open and Wimbledon in 2012. The sixth-seeded German, who had 38 unforced errors, double-faulted to end the first set tiebreaker.
When Kerber’s final forehand bounced off the net cord and back, Errani dropped her racket and pumped both fists.
