Serena Downs McHale To Reach Rome Quarterfinals
Photo Credit: Sidney Beal III
Serena Williams advanced to the Internazionali BNL d’Italia quarterfinals on Thursday, defeating fellow American Christina McHale 7-6(7), 6-1.
The world number one fell behind a break in the first set in this one, as McHale broke for a 3-2 lead. McHale would have a chance to serve out the set at 5-3, but Serena jumped out to a 40-0 lead on her serve, going to on to secure the break and even up the set.
The set would go into a tiebreaker, and both players were forced to save set points, but it was Serena who would go on to win it 9-7 to capture the opening set.
With momentum in her corner, Serena made sure this one would not go three sets, as the previous matchup between her and McHale did. She broke for a 2-1 lead, and added a couple more break points, winning five straight games from 1-1 to cruise through the second set and into the final eight in Rome.
Serena will take on Svetlana Kuznetsova, who defeated her in Miami last month. Kuznetsova downed Daria Gavrilova 6-2, 2-6, 6-3.
“I think right now she’s probably one of the best clay-court players,” Serena said of Kuznetsova. “I couldn’t ask for a better match going into Roland Garros, so this is a perfect opportunity for me, win or lose, to see where I am and get ready for what I’m ready for, which is the main event.”
Third-seeded Spaniard Garbine Muguruza cruised into the quarterfinals with a 6-1, 6-4 triumph over Jelena Ostapenko. Muguruza will take on the 11th seed from Switzerland Timea Bacsinszky who came back from a set down to beat eighth-seed Carla Suarez-Navarro 5-7, 7-5, 6-2.
Japan’s Misaki Doi completed a 4-6, 7-5, 6-2 win over Johanna Konta to reach the biggest quarterfinal of her career. Doi will take on Romania’s Irina Begu who defeated Darya Kasatkina 6-1, 6-4 in her third-round contest.
