By Chris Oddo | Thursday, August 28, 2014

 

After taking a moment to get used to the windy conditions on Arthur Ashe Stadium, Serena Williams was off and running to a convincing victory over Vania King.

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Conditions were difficult on Day 4, with swirling winds and bright, sunny skies, and Serena Williams started by double-faulting three times in her first service game, but once she overcame that hiccup, the five-time US Open champion was off to the races.

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“Just getting through that [first] game was really important,” Williams said after the her 6-1, 6-0 trouncing of fellow American Vania King.

Williams clocked 25 winners against only 15 unforced errors on the day, and she saved both break points she faced to set up a third-round encounter with another American, Varvara Lepchenko.

“It’s so hard to play in the wind,” Williams told Pam Shriver in an on-court interview after the match. “I’m really happy to get through a solid match with the conditions today. It wasn’t easy, but you have to be able to adjust.”

The American has dropped only five games in her first two matches of her bid to become the second player in the Open Era to win three consecutive US Open titles. Chris Evert, who won four straight titles from 1975 to 1978, is also the only player to have won six Open Era titles in New York.

Williams, who has failed to reach the quarterfinals of all three majors last year, can tie Evert and Martina Navratilova on the all-time Grand Slam title list with 18 if she goes all the way in New York.

So far, so good.

“I enjoyed playing here on Arthur Ashe stadium in front of the crowd,” Williams said. “That always is an extra motivation for me.”

With the victory Williams improves to 74-9 at the US Open. In her previous 14 appearances she has reached seven finals, winning five titles.