Top seed Novak Djokovic roared into the fourth round of the US Open with a 6-0, 6-2, 6-2 victory over Joao Sousa of Portugal under the lights of Arthur Ashe Stadium on Sunday. The 26-year-old Serb, who has yet to lose a set, smacked 34 winners to just 10 for the 95th-ranked Sousa in the 100-minute rout.
Defending champion Andy Murray sailed along after winning a first-set tiebreaker to defeat Florian Mayer of Germany in straight sets and book a berth in the fourth round of the US Open on Sunday.
Murray began to find the range in the tiebreak, winning it decisively at 7-2 and carrying on to a 7-6(2), 6-2, 6-2 victory in hot, humid conditions on Arthur Ashe Stadium court. ‘Very tough conditions today,’ third seed Murray said after eliminating Mayer, ranked 47th.
‘He’s a very tricky opponent, plays a lot of strange shots. Takes your timing away and tough to get your rhythm, so I’m really glad to come through in three sets.’ Top-ranked defending champion Serena Williams defeated US 15th seed Sloane Stephens 6-4, 6-1 on Sunday to reach the US Open quarterfinals, avenging a loss that ousted her from the 2013 Australian Open.
Williams won eight of the last nine games to advance after 87 minutes to a last-eight matchup against Spanish 18th seed Carla Suarez Navarro, who upset German eighth seed Angelique Kerber 4-6, 6-3, 7-6 (7/3). “It definitely felt like a bigger match because Sloane is such a great player, but I had to stay focused in the moment,” Williams said. “I just tried the whole time to do what I wanted to, stay calm and stay relaxed.”
China’s Li Na made a triumphant night-time debut on Sunday at the US Open with an impressive rout of former world number one Jelena Jankovic to reach the quarterfinals and match her best New York result. But tournament organizers take note -- she would rather be playing in the daytime, thank you very much.
Fifth seed Li, the 2011 French Open champion, needed only 57 minutes to defeat Serbian ninth seed Jankovic 6-3, 6-0 and book a last-eight date against Russian 24th seed Ekaterina Makarova. Poland’s third seed Agnieszka Radwanska has been bundled out of the US Open by Russia’s Ekaterina Makarova in the biggest shock of the women’s event at Flushing Meadows.
Makarova struck a barrage of groundstroke winners to topple Radwanska 6-4 6-4 in the fourth round under floodlights on Louis Armstrong Stadium. Elsewhere, fifth seed Tomas Berdych routed France’s Julien Benneteau 6-0 6-3 6-2 and Lleyton Hewitt also advanced.