World No. 1s Serena Williams and Novak Djokovic ruled supreme on Tuesday, sending ominous warnings to their rivals with dazzling, runaway victories over Spanish opponents at the US Open.
Djokovic said he played some of his best tennis on the Arthur Ashe Stadium court as he trounced Marcel Granollers 6-3, 6-0, 6-0, and Williams could not have done better, handing Carla Suarez Navarro a 6-0, 6-0 beating at USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in New York.
Dominant performances are not out of the ordinary for those rankings leaders, but fifth-seeded Li Na provided something special by breaking another barrier for Chinese tennis.
Photo: AFP
The 31-year-old Li became China’s first semi-finalist ever at the US Open by beating Russian Ekaterina Makarova 6-4, 6-7(5), 6-2 on Tuesday at a windy Flushing Meadows.
Li pumped both fists in joy after 24th seed Makarova sailed a backhand long to end the two-hour, 20-minute match at Arthur Ashe Stadium as the crowd showered her with cheers.
“For me, this is the first time to come to the semi-finals, so I’m very proud of myself,” said Li, who looked about to claim victory in two sets after winning the first three points of the tiebreaker, but was extended to a third set.
Photo: AFP
Other winners were also tested as defending men’s champion Andy Murray of Britain worked hard to get past 65th-ranked Denis Istomin of Uzbekistan, 6-7 (5), 6-1, 6-4, 6-4 and women’s second seed Victoria Azarenka overcame Ana Ivanovic 4-6, 6-3, 6-4 to complete the women’s quarter-finals field.
The lone upset by rankings was registered by ninth-seeded Stanislas Wawrinka of Switzerland, who ousted fifth seed Tomas Berdych of the Czech Republic 3-6, 6-1, 7-6 (6), 6-2
Wawrinka, who has now won five of his past six matches against Berdych, advanced to a quarters clash against Murray.
Photo: AFP
Li will not have too long to revel in her achievement as the win set up a semi-final date with defending champion Williams.
“I played really good,” four-time US Open winner Williams acknowledged after her 52-minute rout of Suarez Navarro. “I’m having a blast this week. For me, I have to stay in that moment of fun, but intensity, but calm. If I can try to do those three things, it works out.”
It was only the second love-love win in a US Open women’s quarter-final dating back to 1968 and first since Martina Navratilova subjected Manuela Maleeva of Bulgaria to the embarrassment in 1989.
Photo: AFP
The 31-year-old Williams, aiming to become the oldest US Open women’s winner since tennis turned professional in 1968, has lost just 13 games in five matches.
Djokovic said his game was clicking just as he had planned.
“Today, the second and third set have been some of the best tennis that I’ve played on Arthur Ashe in my career,” said Djokovic, who won the title in 2011 and was a finalist last year and in 2007.
“I was wishing to be more aggressive as the tournament progresses,” added the Serb, who won the first 25 points on his serve and 28 of the 30 points he contested at the net.
Djokovic moved into the quarters against Russia’s Mikhail Youzhny, who ended the magical run of 2001 US Open winner Lleyton Hewitt by escaping a 1-4 hole in the fourth set and a 2-5 stranglehold in the fifth for a 6-3, 3-6, 6-7(3), 6-4, 7-5 win.
Youzhny, the 21st seed, took pride in outbattling renowned fighter Hewitt in the nearly four-hour match.
“I know he’s a great player and he’s great fighting player, who is fighting for every point, every match. For me, this way that I beat him today, it’s really important,” he said.
The 32-year-old unseeded Hewitt, who had upset sixth-seeded former champion Juan Martin del Potro in the second round, gave credit to the Russian.
“In the end, he played the big games when he needed to,” the Australian said.
Earlier, women’s second seed Victoria Azarenka overcame Ana Ivanovic, the 13th seed, 4-6, 6-3, 6-4 to complete the women’s quarter-finals field after their contest was postponed from Monday due to nearly five hours of rain delays.
Azarenka, runner-up last year to Serena Williams, will play unseeded Daniela Hantuchova of Slovakia in the last eight.
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