Serena confident she is on ‘the right path’ again
STANFORD: Serena Williams put a worrying Wimbledon behind her yesterday, launching her build-up to the US Open with a 7-5 6-2 victory over Karolina Pliskova at Stanford.
The American World No 1, playing for the first time since her thirdround singles exit at Wimbledon was followed by a dramatic doubles retirement, showed no sign of illness or rust as she rolled to victory over the 45th-ranked Czech in 64 minutes.
After enjoying a first-round bye, the top seed punched her ticket to the quarter-finals of the WTA hardcourt tournament, where she’ll face the winner of the second-round match between former World No 1 Ana Ivanovic and Canadian qualifier Carol Zhao.
Second-seeded Agnieszka Radwanska was less successful in her first outing since a disappointing Wimbledon. Unseeded Varvara Lepchenko toppled the World No 5 6-3 3-6 6-4 for her first win over the Polish star in six career meetings.
Radwanska has yet to lift a trophy in 2014, and hasn’t reached a final since a runner-up finish to Italian Flavia Pennetta at Indian Wells in March.
Williams has captured titles at Brisbane, Miami and Rome in 2014, but she has failed to add to her tally of 17 Grand Slam singles titles, and the US Open offers her last chance this year to do so.
After falling in the third round of singles play at Wimbledon, Williams looked wobbly in a second-round doubles match from which she and her sister Venus eventually retired.
Since then Serena had withdrawn from a tournament in Bastad, but she said this week her time off had helped her recover from a virus and she showed no ill-effects on Wednesday.
“She had a really good serve,” Williams said of Pliskova, who kept the first set close but finally surrendered the frame when Williams broke her in the final game. Williams broke again in the second game en route to a 3-0 lead in the second, and broke Pliskova to love to close out the match when the Czech belted a forehand long.
Williams saved all three break points she faced in the match and fired nine aces.
“I think I played really well,” Williams said. “I’m on the right path. I’m excited and I’m looking forward to my next match.”
Czech top seed Tomas Berdych and Wimbledon semi-finalist Milos Raonic advanced in second-round matches at the ATP and WTA Washington Open.
Berdych, seeking his 10th career ATP title and first on US soil, defeated US qualifier Robby Ginepri 6-1 6-4 at the $1.9million hardcourt tune-up for the US Open.
Berdych connected on only 48% of his first serves but still needed only 68 minutes to dispatch Ginepri, whose only two ATP wins this year came in the past 10 days, and book a thirdround date with Canada's Vasek Pospisil.
“I felt good on the court,” Berdych said. “My goal was from the first point try to be focused. It can be tougher after you have a few weeks off.”
Raonic, coming off a loss to Roger Federer in his first Grand Slam semifinal, advanced to a third-round match with 33-year-old Australian Lleyton Hewitt, the 2001 US Open and 2002 Wimbledon champion.
“Felt good and didn’t feel so good,” Raonic said. “You have to understand yourself and not expect to play your best tennis.” – AFP, Reuters