Serena humbles Venus; Nadal survives
YORK: Serena Williams crushed older sister Venus 6-1, 6-2 in a shockingly subdued third round clash at the US Open on Friday to stay on track for a record equalling 24th Grand Slam title.
The meeting between the famed tennis siblings had been hyped as the biggest night of the U.S. Open but turned into a flat, uninspired spectacle as Serena simply outclassed her sister.
The only moment of suspense in a contest all but devoid of drama came in the second game when Serena rolled over on her ankle, drawing gasps from the sellout crowd.
Serena was able to continue but at the first changeover called a medical timeout and had her ankle heavily strapped.
In the end, though, the only pain being felt was by Venus, who suffered the equal worst defeat in 30 matches against her sister.
“This was my best match since my return. I’ve worked really hard for it ... and hopefully everything will keep paying off,” Serena said.
Seven-time Grand Slam winner, Venus held her opening serve but it was all downhill from there as a ruthless Serena swept through the next seven games to take the opening set in a breezy 31 minutes and a 2-0 lead in the second.
Venus would stop the skid holding her serve at 2-1 before Serena resumed the mugging by building a 5-1 lead before finishing off her sister with a thumping forehand winner.
Meanwhile, defending champion Sloane Stephens, at No. 3 the highest seed left in the draw after the exits of Simona Halep and world No 2 Caroline Wozniacki, booked her fourth-round berth with a 6-3, 6-4 victory over former world No 1 Victoria Azarenka.
NADAL STRETCHED
World No 1 and defending champion Rafael Nadal came back from a set and break down to defeat big-hitting Karen Khachanov 5-7, 7-5, 7-6 (9/7), 7-6 (7/3) and reach the fourth round on Friday.
Nadal will next face Georgia’s world number 37 Nikoloz Basilashvili for a place in the quarter- finals.
Meanwhile, South Africa’s Kevin Anderson, who was runner-up to Nadal last year, outlasted Canadian teenager Denis Shapovalov 4-6, 6-3, 6-4, 4-6, 6-4 as the roof on the new Louis Armstrong Stadium was closed for the first time.
The fifth seed, runner-up to Novak Djokovic at Wimbledon, next faces ninth-seeded Austrian Dominic Thiem, who made the last 16 for the fourth time in five years with a 3-6, 6-3, 7-6 (7/5), 6-4 victory over American Taylor Fritz.
In another match, John Isner, the last American man standing, fired 34 aces, 85 winners and saved the three break points he faced in beating Serbia’s Dusan Lajovic 7-6 (10/8), 6-7 (6/8), 6-3, 7-5.
Isner will face Milos Raonic, who defeated 2016 champion Stan Wawrinka 7-6 (8/6), 6-4, 6-3. Squad: R Sharma (capt), S Dhawan, KL Rahul, A Rayudu, M Pandey, K Jadhav, MS Dhoni (wk), D Karthik, H Pandya, K Yadav, Y Chahal, A Patel, B Kumar, J Bumrah, S Thakur, K Ahmed.