Serena Survives Scare, Set to Meet Keys in Round of 16
World number one Serena Williams’ pursuit of history was nearly dismissed Friday, tested by fellow American Bethanie Mattek-Sands at the U.S. Open before pulling out the 3-6, 7-5, 6-0 win to move on to the Round of 16 in Flushing Meadows. Mattek-Sands took three straight games to kick off the match, en route to taking the first set before Serena regained her form to take the final two sets and the win. Serena moves onward in the women’s draw, seeking a record-tying 22 Grand Slam titles, a mark currently held by Steffi Graf.
“She played really well,” said Serena of Mattek-Sands. “She played a really aggressive game. I don't think her level really dropped. I thought I just picked up my level.”
Up next for Serena is fellow American Madison Keys, defeating Agnieska Radwanska of Poland for the first time in five career matches 6-3, 6-2.
The win marks Keys’ first appearance in the Round of 16 in Flushing. In their only career meeting, Keys fell to Serena at the Australian Open semifinals in January.
“I think that she played a really high-intensity match,” said Serena of Keys. “She runs around and hits forehands a lot. I tend to run around and hit backhands, which is just odd. I mean, we both have good serves. She does everything really well. She has a good return. She has a heavy shot. She's moving well. So she does everything really well.”
When asked about how she plans on beating Serena, Keys responded, “I don't know … I don't think many people do know, so I guess I'm going to go try to figure it out. I'll let you know if I figure it out in a couple days."
