U.S. Begin tennis: Serena, Thiem cruise into quarterfinals

Sept. 7 (UPI) — Twenty-three time Big Slam champion Serena Williams avenged an August loss to Greece’s Maria Sakkari with a stressful-fought triumph in the U.S. Begin spherical of 16 Monday in Queens, N.Y.

Williams, 38, received three of eight breakpoints and had 38 unforced errors in the two-hour, 38-minute clash. Sakkari had 43 unforced errors in the loss. Williams received the three-space match 6-3, 6-7(6), 6-3 at Arthur Ashe Stadium.

Sakkari beat Williams in three items in the spherical of 16 on Aug. 25 on the Western & Southern Begin, which used to be performed per week sooner than the U.S. Begin and likewise took attach on the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Heart.

“I felt treasure she virtually performed better as of late,” Williams stated of Sakkari. “She’s the kind of appropriate form competitor so it used to be a terribly intense match.”

Williams will face Bulgaria’s Tsvetana Pironkova in the quarterfinals in her quest for a document-tying 24th Big Slam. The winner of that match will play for a field in the girls folks’s singles closing.

Pironkova evolved to the quarterfinals after a three-space obtain over Alize Cornet Monday in Queens.

Dominic Thiem is the most realistic possible-seeded player in the men’s singles circuit. He dispatched of Canadian Felix Auger Aliassime 7-6, 6-1, 6-1 to reach to the quarterfinals. No. 3 Daniil Medvedev also beat American Frances Tiafoe in straight items to reach. No. 10 Andrey Rublev beat No. 6 Matteo Berrettini in four items to assemble it into the quarterfinals.

Alex de Minaur also beat Canadian Vasek Pospisil in straight items and would possibly well perhaps face Thiem in the quarterfinals. The winner of that match will face Rublev or Medvedev in the semifinals.

No. 4 Naomi Osaka will face American Shelby Rogers in a quarterfinal clash at 7 p.m. EDT Tuesday in Queens. Jennifer Brady will decide on Yulia Putintseva in Tuesday’s assorted girls folks’s singles quarterfinal. No. 5 Alexander Zverev faces Borna Coric at 1: 15 p.m. EDT Tuesday in Queens in the principle men’s quarterfinal. Denis Shapovalov battles Pablo Carreno Busta in the varied men’s quarterfinal Tuesday in Queens.

Moments from Serena Williams’ profession