Sugar-free Venus in stroll

– Venus Williams (above) notched up her 70th career victory at the US Open on Thursday, reaching the third round with a crisp 6-2, 6-3 victory over Julia Goerges.

After surviving 63 unforced errors to squeeze past Ukrainian Kateryna Kozlova in the first round, the 36-year-old Williams had just 17 – with 18 winners – in her 1hr 18min win.

“Woo hoo! Feels good,” said Williams, who unlike others playing under the new roof on Arthur Ashe Stadium was buoyed by the enthusiastic crowd rather than put off by the amplified noise.

“There’s nothing like playing in New York,” said Williams, who first played on Ashe in 1997 – the year it was unveiled.

“It was a long time ago,” she said. “I’m so grateful to still be here playing, winning matches.”

The American veteran also revealed she had dropped sugar from her diet in a bid to keep her in the top-10.

“It was just something I wanted to try. Like I always said, I’m always trying something different to find a peak performance, something I started recently,” she said.

Losing her sweet tooth, she added, is not a problem.

“I don’t miss anything about it. I can fit in my clothes, I feel good.”

With her 72nd main draw appearance in a major Williams has broken the Open Era mark she shared with compatriot Amy Frazier for most Grand Slams contested.

The seven-time major winner, who won back-to-back titles in Flushing Meadows in 2000 and 2001, said her latest Grand Slam bid was right on track.

“I just want to keep playing aggressively, make less errors,” she said. “That was definitely a success in this match.” –

New York