Five-time champion Serena Williams (in pic)reached her first Grand Slam quarterfinal of 2014 at the US Open but Canadian poster girl Eugenie Bouchard, struggling in the heat and humidity, was knocked out.
World number one Williams, the two-time defending champion, eased past world number 50 Kaia Kanepi, 6-3, 6-3, for a fourth win over the Estonian and goes on to face fellow 32-year-old Flavia Pennetta of Italy in a clash of the two oldest remaining players in the draw.
‘It’s my first quarterfinal of the year at the majors, at last I did it. It was a tough match today. Kaia hits the ball very hard and moves the ball around really well. I wanted to stay relaxed and told myself that whatever happens, Serena, you’re still in the doubles,’ said Serena, who had fallen in the fourth round in Australia, third round at Wimbledon and second round in French Open.
Seventh seeded Bouchard was at the centre of a medical drama on Louis Armstrong court when she had to have her blood pressure and temperature taken in her 7-6 (7/2), 6-4 defeat to Russian 17th seed Ekaterina Makarova. Wimbledon runner-up Bouchard called the medical timeout at 2-3 down in the second set when she was obviously struggling in the 31-degree heat and humidity running at 60 per cent. She slipped 4-2 down, broke back for 4-3 but left-handed Makarova was too strong for the Canadian as she booked a spot in the last-eight for the second successive year.
World number one Williams, the two-time defending champion, eased past world number 50 Kaia Kanepi, 6-3, 6-3, for a fourth win over the Estonian and goes on to face fellow 32-year-old Flavia Pennetta of Italy in a clash of the two oldest remaining players in the draw.
‘It’s my first quarterfinal of the year at the majors, at last I did it. It was a tough match today. Kaia hits the ball very hard and moves the ball around really well. I wanted to stay relaxed and told myself that whatever happens, Serena, you’re still in the doubles,’ said Serena, who had fallen in the fourth round in Australia, third round at Wimbledon and second round in French Open.
Seventh seeded Bouchard was at the centre of a medical drama on Louis Armstrong court when she had to have her blood pressure and temperature taken in her 7-6 (7/2), 6-4 defeat to Russian 17th seed Ekaterina Makarova. Wimbledon runner-up Bouchard called the medical timeout at 2-3 down in the second set when she was obviously struggling in the 31-degree heat and humidity running at 60 per cent. She slipped 4-2 down, broke back for 4-3 but left-handed Makarova was too strong for the Canadian as she booked a spot in the last-eight for the second successive year.