Serena cruises into US Open fourth round

2 Sep 2012, 2:42 pm   -   Source: AAP

Serena Williams has surged into the fourth round of the US Open and equalled sister Venus with 61 career wins at Flushing Meadows in the process.

Three-time US Open women's champion Serena Williams went level with sister Venus on 61 career wins at Flushing Meadows when she coasted into the fourth round on Saturday in New York.

Olympic and Wimbledon champion Williams won eight games in succession to claim a 6-4 6-0 win over Russia's world No.42 Ekaterina Makarova, the woman who knocked her out of the Australian Open this year.

Williams, the fourth seed, fired 31 winners and eight aces and will next face unseeded Czech Andrea Hlavackova, who beat Maria Kirilenko of Russia, the 14th seed, 5-7 6-4 6-4.

"After 4-4, I started to play better and more consistent. She's a good opponent, she beat me in Australia so I knew I needed to play better and I did," said Williams, the 1999, 2002 and 2008 champion.

Hlavackova, the world No.82, and making her US Open main draw debut, will be playing in her first grand slam fourth round.

Polish second seed and Wimbledon runner-up Agnieszka Radwanska matched her best US Open performance by also reaching the last 16 with a 6-3 7-5 win in stifling heat over error-plagued Serbian 30th seed Jelena Jankovic, the 2008 runner-up.

"I was feeling like I was melting there," Radwanska said. "I survived the match."

Radwanska goes on to face Italian 20th seed Roberta Vinci for a place in the quarter-finals.

Vinci reached the last 16 for the first time with a 6-2 7-5 win over Slovakia's 13th seed Dominika Cibulkova, a quarter-finalist in 2010.

Former world No.1 and 2008 French Open champion Ana Ivanovic reached the last 16 for the fourth time with a 6-7 (4-7) 6-4 6-2 win over highly-regarded American teenager Sloane Stephens.

The Serb 12th seed will next face Bulgaria's Tsvetana Pironkova who saw off Spain's Silvia Soler-Espinosa 6-1 6-7 (3-7) 6-3.

German sixth seed Angelique Kerber, a semi-finalist in 2011, eased past Olga Govortsova of Belarus 6-1 6-2, and now meets French Open runner-up Sara Errani, the 10th seeded Italian, who defeated Russian qualifier Olga Puchkova 6-1 6-1.

Four-time grand slam tournament winner and former No.1-ranked player Kim Clijsters headed into retirement after she and Bob Bryan lost their second-round mixed doubles match against Makarova and Bruno Soares. Clijsters announced months ago the US Open would be her last tournament, and she already was out of singles and women's doubles.

Clijsters bid adieu to the sport with her husband and 4-year-old daughter sitting in the stands at Court 17.

"I've been telling her I'm going to be home a lot when this tournament is completely done," Clijsters said.

"I don't think she understands the meaning of the word retirement."

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