Serena Williams left her opponent swinging at shadows, then Andy Roddick finished off his work with a 217kph fastball.
Roddick and Williams easily aced their latest tests in the US Open on Sunday, serving notice that they're just warming up.
PHOTO: AP
Roddick overpowered Guillermo Canas 6-1, 6-3, 6-3, reaching the fourth round with an unbeatable serve and unbelievable ratio: 21 aces, zero double-faults.
"His serve is difficult. Well, almost impossible," Canas said.
In fact, Canas' top first serve was 202kph; Roddick's average was 207kph.
"I had a game plan, I executed it. I took it to him," said Roddick, who next plays No. 18 Tommy Robredo. "I really don't have a magical explanation for it."
Williams was almost as impressive: 12 aces and only one double-fault in a 6-4, 6-2 romp over Patty Schnyder. After it was over, Schnyder sounded a lot like Canas.
"When she serves that well, I will never be able to make a break," she said. "If she serves like this, it's hard for anybody."
The victory sent Williams into the quarterfinals against a most familiar opponent, Jennifer Capriati.
Williams is 10-6 lifetime against Capriati, including 3-3 in Grand Slam events. Capriati beat Williams in the French Open quarters this year, then lost to her in the Wimbledon quarters.
"I like playing Jennifer a lot, I really do," Williams said. "We always play each other. We really know each other's games."
In perhaps the most unusual match of the day, sixth-seeded Elena Dementieva beat No. 10 Vera Zvonareva 1-6, 6-4, 6-3 in a matchup of Russians. Zvonareva cried between points, hit herself in the foot with her racket and berated herself. Even for someone prone to outbursts, it was a bit out of control.
"You wouldn't see any fourth-round matches of a Grand Slam not emotional," the 19-year-old Zvonareva said. "When I'm comfortable with my tennis, when I know what I'm doing on the court and when I play for every ball, then I don't get like this."
Top-seeded Roger Federer and Justine Henin-Hardenne will be in action Monday night. Andre Agassi and Venus Williams will be among those playing earlier in the day.
Serena Williams showed no ill effects from the painful left knee that force her to pull out of last month's Olympics. The two-time Open champion had surgery on it in August 2003, and missed 8 1/2 months while recovering.
She said a few doctors advised her to skip this tournament.
"My knee is doing pretty good right now. I haven't had any worries," she said. "I'm just excited to be here because I wasn't supposed to come."
The six-time Grand Slam winner wore basic black. Earlier in the week, she attracted quite a bit of attention with black, formfitting shorts and a studded, tight tank top -- she warmed up that day with black, knee-high boots.
Supermodel Naomi Campbell was on hand to watch Williams. They've gone shopping together in Los Angeles.
"She'd always tell me what I should wear. I'd try on some different outfits. She's like, `Wear that one,'" Williams said.
Capriati rallied in the first set and went on to beat No. 12 Ai Sugiyama 7-5, 6-2.
Hewitt, the 2001 Open champion, won all 16 points on his serve in the first set and cruised past Feliciano Lopez 6-1, 6-4, 6-2. Haas beat Ricard Mello 6-2, 6-3, 7-5.
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