Chinese fifth seed Li Na as well as third seed Pole Agnieszka Radwanska climbed to the last 16 of US Open 2013 on Friday. On the other side, heavyweights Andy Murray, Novak Djokovic and Serena Williams waited in the wings.
Amazingly, Li struck 11 aces in a 6-2, 7-5 win against Laura Robson. The 31-year-old Li, who witnessed her rival hit 30 unforced errors plus a paltry seven winners, proceeds to face either Japanese qualifier Kurumi Nara or Serbian ninth seed Jelena Jankovic, who is the 2008 runner-up for a quarter-final spot.
Li expressed that she was really happy how she was hitting on the court and she thought she served really well.
It cannot be ignored that the 19-year-old Robson had issues with a wrist injury during the run-up to the tournament and currently has a problem with her teeth. She disclosed that she will see her doctor when she gets back (about the wrist). She also has to get her wisdom teeth pulled out.
Actually, Li's best US Open performance was a run to the quarter-finals in 2009. However, that is one round better compared to Radwanska, who has already stumbled at the 4th round stage on three occasions. Moreover, the 2012 Wimbledon runner-up crashed into the last 16 once again with a 6-4, 7-6 (7/1) victory over 32nd seed Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova of Russia, who was a quarter-finalist in 2011.
Pavlyuchenkova, who was seeded at a major for the first time, was beaten by 41 unforced errors. This rendered her 32 winners irrelevant against the firm Radwanska.
In addition, Murray, who had to wait till Wednesday night to get his title defense underway, locked horns with Leonardo Mayer-the Argentine world number 81, to secure a place in the last 32 following brushing aside French veteran Michael Llodra in his opener. In fact, the third-seeded Scot has played in the finals of the last four Grand Slam tournaments where he has competed a run which included a first Wimbledon title last month.
However, the British star is taking nothing for granted against Mayer, who made the 3rd round in New York last year.
Murray informed that he is a very talented player. He has got big sort of long, looping strokes. He thinks he plays his best tennis on the hard courts and he is very tough.
Four-time champion Williams, who is the top seed, has dropped four games during her opening two matches. She faces big-hitting Russian-born Kazkhastan player Yaroslava Shvedova, who is the world number 78 for a last-16 spot. Williams, who was pursuing a 17th Grand Slam title, has won both their preceding encounters in Toronto in 2009 and Wimbledon last year. Remarkably, Shvedova has twice been a women's doubles champion at the US Open, along with Vania King to victory in 2010 and 2011.
The 2011 champion Djokovic is trying to reach the final for a fourth successive season. He will face Benjamin Becker for a place in the third round. In fact, the 87th-ranked German is already part of US Open folklore, who had inflicted the last professional defeat of Andre Agassi at the tournament in 2006.
In early men's singles event, 12th seeded Tommy Haas hammered Lu Yen-Hsun of Taiwan by 6-3, 6-4, 7-6 (7/3) on Friday. Subsequently, the 35-year-old German will face Russian 21st seed Mikhail Youzhny, who sneaked past Alexandr Dolgopolov of Ukraine by 7-5, 6-1, 6-3 to book a fourth-round place.
