NEW YORK — In danger of her earliest exit at the U.S. Open since her debut 22 years ago, Serena Williams turned things around and took over against Sloane Stephens.
Williams emerged from the third-round matchup between two Americans who are past champions at Flushing Meadows — she’s won six of her 23 Grand Slam singles titles at the place — with a 2-6, 6-2, 6-2 victory over 2017 titlist Stephens on Saturday, winning 10 of the last 12 games.
Afterward, Williams’ 3-year-old daughter, Olympia, wore a mask and waved at Mom while sitting on her father’s lap in a front-row seat. On her way to the locker room, Williams waved back.
“I hope,” Williams said, “that she saw her mama fighting.”
Williams did it, as she so often does, with her best-in-the-game serve, hitting 12 aces at up to 122 mph as it got really dialed in midway through the second set, and an ability to recalibrate her groundstrokes that were so awry early and so superb down the stretch.
“She served a lot better,” said Stephens, now 1-6 against Williams, although they hadn’t played each other since 2015. “Obviously she has one of the greatest serves in the game. It’s really difficult to read.”
Other women into the fourth round: No. 16 Elise Mertens, No. 20 Karolina Muchova and Tsvetana Pironkova, who defeated No. 18 Donna Vekic 6-4, 6-1. No. 7-seeded Madison Keys retired after requiring treatment on her upper back and neck in the second set of her third-round match against Alize Cornet, who was leading 7-6 (4), 3-2.
In men’s action, 22-year-old Frances Tiafoe dominated Marton Fucsovics 6-2, 6-3, 6-2 to become the only American man to reach the second week of the tournament.
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NEW YORK, NEW YORK - SEPTEMBER 05: Sloane Stephens of the United States greets Serena Williams of the United States at the net after their Women’s Singles third round match on Day Six of the 2020 US Open at USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center on September 05, 2020 in the Queens borough of New York City. (Photo by Al Bello/Getty Images)
lessPhoto: Al Bello / Getty ImagesNEW YORK, NEW YORK - SEPTEMBER 05: Sloane Stephens of the United States greets Serena Williams of the United States at the net after their Women’s Singles third round match on Day Six of the 2020 US Open at
... more
NEW YORK, NEW YORK - SEPTEMBER 05: Sloane Stephens of the United States greets Serena Williams of the United States at the net after their Women’s Singles third round match on Day Six of the 2020 US Open at USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center on September 05, 2020 in the Queens borough of New York City. (Photo by Al Bello/Getty Images)
lessNEW YORK, NEW YORK - SEPTEMBER 05: Sloane Stephens of the United States greets Serena Williams of the United States at the net after their Women’s Singles third round match on Day Six of the 2020 US Open at
... moreRanked 82nd, Tiafoe advanced to the fourth round, his best showing at the Open.
“I knew this was big to get to the second week,” Tiafoe said. “I really wanted to keep this run going.”
His opponent Monday will be third-seeded Daniil Medvedev, last year’s runner-up. Medvedev won when they met in the first round of the Australian Open in January.
Also, No. 6 Matteo Berrettini moved on, as did No. 10 Andrey Rublev, No. 15 Felix Auger-Aliassime, No. 21 Alex de Minaur and Vasek Pospisil, who’s been in the news lately because he teamed up with Novak Djokovic to set up a new association to represent players.
Pospisil eliminated No. 8 Roberto Bautista Agut 7-5, 2-6, 4-6, 6-3, 6-2, and next faces another five-set winner, de Minaur, who defeated No. 11 Karen Khachanov 6-4, 0-6, 4-6, 6-3, 6-1.
Next up for Williams is a rematch with 15th-seeded Maria Sakkari, who beat Williams last month at the Western & Southern Open, a hard-court tournament played at the U.S. Open site instead of its usual home in Ohio because of the pandemic.
“You know, Serena is Serena,” Sakkari said after advancing earlier Saturday by beating 19-year-old American Amanda Anisimova 6-3, 6-1. “You have to come up with some great tennis. Otherwise there is no chance against her.”
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