Federer beats heat, advances to third round of U.S. Open

NEW YORK — Roger Federer says his favorite drinks are cold water and a sparkling glass of champagne. Both could be on tap at the U.S. Open: Federer needed a few swigs of water on another steamy day at the Open and he played like a former champion set to uncork a celebratory bottle of bubbly.

“I don’t like warm drinks, let’s put it that way,” Federer said, laughing.

Federer’s coolness on the court belied another day where players needed cooling towels as much as their rackets. Federer, a five-time U.S. Open champion, had steeled himself for the heat by changing up his routine — he made an early trip to New York to prep his game in the sweltering sun.

“I felt like it’s maybe one of these years where it could be hot,” Federer said Thursday. “I had the plan to go to Dubai first, where it’s extremely hot. I didn’t want to be away from the family. I changed plans and said, ‘Let’s go early to America and prepare over here in the conditions that I’m actually going to see during the Open.’”

Federer was crisp in a 7-5, 6-4, 6-4 win over Benoit Paire in and made it 18 of 18 lifetime in the second round of the U.S. Open. Up next, Federer plays No. 30 seed Nick Kyrgios on Saturday.

Serena, Venus to square off tonight

Get ready for the latest Grand Slam installment of Williams vs. Williams. One big difference this time: The superstar siblings will be meeting in the third round at the U.S. Open, their earliest showdown at a major tournament in 20 years.

Serena Williams set up the highly anticipated matchup at Flushing Meadows by hitting 13 aces and overwhelming 101st-ranked Carina Witthoeft of Germany 6-2, 6-2 in a little more than an hour in Arthur Ashe Stadium on Wednesday night.

“Unfortunately and fortunately, we have to play each other. We make each other better. We bring out the best when we play each other. It’s what we do,” Serena said. “I think we’re used to it now.”

When they play today it will be their 30th tour-level encounter. It’s also soonest the sisters have played each other at any Grand Slam since their very first tour match, all the way back at the 1998 Australian Open.

The reason this match comes so early is that their rankings are not what they’ve been in the past. Serena is No. 26, playing in only the seventh tournament since she was off the tour for more than a year while having a baby.

Kerber survives test

Three-time major champion Angelique Kerber got through a second-round test at the U.S. Open, edging 82nd-ranked Johanna Larsson of Sweden 6-2, 5-7, 6-4.

Kerber moved ahead in a third set filled with lengthy baseline exchanges by breaking in the next-to-last game when Larsson double-faulted.

The No. 4-seeded Kerber won the U.S. Open in 2016.

Also Thursday, No. 5 seed Petra Kivtova beat Wang Yafan 705, 6-3, and No. 14 seed Madison Keys won in straight sets. 6-4, 6-1 over Bernarda Pera.