Tuesday’s action at the 2013 U.S. Open finally reflected the advanced stages of the tournament, but despite the day’s high level of play, it was Serena Williams who once again dominated the headlines.
2013 U.S. Open bracket update: Serena Williams rolls and Andy Murray survives
The defending champions couldn’t have played more different matches Tuesday, but they both made it to the next round.
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The defending champ played what was likely the most dominant quarterfinal match of the Open Era in obliterating Carla Suarez Navarro, the 18th seed, 6-0, 6-0 in less than an hour. On Navarro’s birthday, no less. Williams is 31 and is so much better than every other female player in the world that it’s tough to not just sit back and marvel.
Williams will face No. 5 Li Na, who needed three sets to get by No. 24 Ekaterina Makarova. Na, also on the wrong side of 30, is playing the best tennis of her career, but it’s hard to imagine her taking a set off Williams at their current level, let alone the match.
No. 9 Stanislas Wawrinka scored the only “upset” of the night with a 3-6, 6-1, 7-6, 6-2 win over No. 5 Tomas Berdych. Wawrinka looked shaky in the first set, but his trademark one-handed backhand was hitting all its spots and he was regularly hitting over 130 mph with his serve. At this point, it’s safe to say that he looks the best he has in his career.
Facing Wawrinka in the quarterfinals will be Andy Murray, who dropped the first set to unseeded Uzbek Denis Istomin but stormed back to win the next three. Murray looked sharp at times, but the wind and Istomin’s sneaky power frustrated him to the point of slamming his racket against his leg at several points during the match. He’ll need to get it together mentally if he wants to survive against Wawrinka.
Earlier in the day, No. 1 seed Novak Djokovic made like Serena and dispatched Marcel Granollers 6-3, 6-0, 6-0 to reach the quarterfinals. He will take on No. 21 Mikhail Youzhny, who ended Lleyton Hewitt’s renaissance run with a stunning comeback win, 6-3, 3-6, 6-7, 6-4, 7-5.
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