Tennis Serena surges ahead
Beats Stephens in Rd 2, extends season’s unbeaten record to 22 matches
Madrid, May 5: World no. 1 Serena Williams extended her unbeaten record this season to 22 matches with a routine 6- 4, 6- 0 win over Sloane Stephens to move into the third round of the Madrid Open on Monday.
Williams hasn’t been beaten in the Spanish capital since 2010 and was never troubled by her fellow American as she booked her place in the last 16 in under an hour on court.
The 19- time Grand Slam champion will face either Victoria Azarenka or Ajla Tomljanovic in the third round on Wednesday.
“She’s such a tough player. I’ve never won a 6- 0 set against her before, and I don’t think I can ever do that again,” said Williams.
“Today I thought to myself, ‘ Wow, this is one of the reasons I love this surface.’ It just gives you so many chances to get in the point and play yourself into the match. I really love playing on the clay,” she added.
Caroline Wozniacki set up a third round meeting with Agnieszka Radwanska as her promising start to the clay court season continued with a 7- 5, 6- 0 win over American qualifier Christina McHale.
Radwanska had an even more comfortable route into the last 16 as she needed just over an hour to dispose of Australian Casey Delacqua 6- 2, 6- 1.
There will also be a battle of former US Open champions in the last 16 as veterans Samantha Stosur and Svetlana Kuznetsova face off.
Kuznetsova battled past home favourite Garbine Muguruza 6- 3, 5- 7, 7- 5 after over two- and- a- half hours on court, whilst Stosur eased past Estonia’s Kaia Kanepi 6- 3, 6- 2.