TAKE THAT: Serena Williams of the US makes a return to Kaia Kanepi of Estonia during their fourth-round clash at the US Open in Flushing Meadows, New York, yesterday. (AFP)
Agencies/New York
World number one and two-time defending champion Serena Williams stormed into the US Open quarter-finals yesterday with a 6-3, 6-3 win over Estonia’s Kaia Kanepi.
The five-time champion will face fellow 32-year-old Flavia Pennetta of Italy for a place in the semi-finals. The 11th-seeded Pennetta earlier beat 29th-seeded Australian Casey Dellacqua 7-5, 6-2 to advance to her second consecutive quarter-final at Flushing Meadows.
The Italian won seven consecutive games to break open the match and nine of the last 11 games.
Their last meeting was seven years ago, where Pennetta won in three tight sets.The flat-hitting southpaw Dellacqua, who reached the 2013 US Open doubles final, has enjoyed her best singles season yet and reached a career high ranking of No. 30 this summer.
But once 2013 US Open semifinalist Pennetta got on a roll, Dellacqua, 29, could not dig herself out of a deep and error-ridden hole.
In an up-and-down opening set, both players had their chances. Pennetta had multiple break-point opportunities in the opening game and 14 overall, but Dellacqua moved in the court better while Pennetta pulled off of the ball and shanked forehands.
Dellacqua led 5-4 before Pennetta diversified her linear game, stepping into the court and also hitting topspin shots that took Dellacqua out of her strike zone.
Some strong serves into the Australian’s body earned Pennetta the opening set in 50 minutes.
“It’s not so easy to play but I was trying to play my best,” said Pennetta, who won her 10th overall title in Indian Wells this past spring and has now advanced to her fifth US Open quarter-final. “My serve was working. I really love to play tennis. It’s my life.”
Feeling confident from her best-ever 2013 US Open run, Pennetta won almost 80 percent of first-serve points and only made one unforced error in the second set, compared with 35 overall from Dellacqua, who made eight double-faults.
Also alive in women’s doubles with former world No. 1 Martina Hingis, Pennetta will redemption against quarter-final opponent Serena. The last American standing has never lost to Pennetta in five career meetings.
Former Czech star Vaidisova prepares a comeback
Former Czech tennis star Nicole Vaidisova, who retired in 2010 aged 20, is set to make her comeback, her agent Olivier van Lindonk said yesterday. Vaidisova, who won six tournaments and reached the semi-finals of the French Open in 2006 and the Australian Open in 2007, has received a wild card entry for the ITF tournament in Albuquerque starting on September 15.
Vaidisova, 25, reached a world number seven ranking in May 2007, and won six WTA titles, before retiring citing lack of motivation after slipping to 176th. She won her first WTA title in Vancouver in 2004 aged just 15 and also notched up 12 Fed Cup wins in 14 matches.
“It’s especially important that she regains her lost passion because the return will be far from easy,” Czech Fed Cup team captain Petr Pala said. Vaidisova married compatriot Radek Stepanek, winner of five ATP titles, in July 2010, but the couple divorced three years later.
