Williams Continues Past Azarenka, Petkovic Advances

By Robert Martin                            Photo Credit: Natasha Peterson / Corleve

(September 3, 2011) After the first set, it looked as if Serena Williams may continue her torrid run through the US Open field when she took on World No. 5 Victoria Azarenka. The woman from Belarus had different ideas, testing Williams who eventually came through with a 6-1, 7-6 (5) victory.

After losing only four games in her first five sets of tennis of the tournament, many wondered if the third round match between Williams and 4th-seeded Azarenka would turn out to be all hype. Once the initial shock wore off, Azarenka was able to find her in the gusty conditions in New York, saving match points en route to forcing a tiebreak in the second set.

After squandering four match points during the second set, the match proceeded to a tight tiebreak that saw Williams serving down at 4-5. From that point it was all Serena, using her backhand to move Azarenka around the court, finally forcing a forehand error on her fifth match point for the win.

Williams was the obvious dictator of the match, hitting 12 aces and 39 winners, compared to only 18 winners from Azarenka. As the match wore on, the fourth seed’s tendency to attack the backhand side proved detrimental as Williams regularly sent shots down the line for winners.

When asked about what makes Williams such a difficult matchup, Azarenka said, “But, you know, mentally, she's definitely one of the toughest players out there. She knows how to fight.”

Also advancing was the 10th seed from Germany, Andrea Petkovic, who played a surprisingly consistent match in allowing 18th-seeded Roberta Vinci to commit 28 errors. Petkovic applied plenty of pressure, hitting 84 percent of her first serves and 18 winners en route to a 6-4, 6-0 victory.

When asked about the pressures of playing in a grand slam, Petkovic said, “After Grand Slams I think I sleep for three or four days straight because it's just a lot of stress. But on the other hand I don't enjoy any match on the tour as much as I do the Grand Slam, even if they are tough.”

By making the fourth round, Petkovic matches her performance from last year. She will be highly favored to progress even further, as she will play Spain’s Carla Suarez Navarro, who recorded a 6-0, 6-4 victory over countrywoman Silvia Soler-Espinosa earlier in the day.