Serena Williams SURVIVES Thiem, Azarenka roll into round of 16
NEW YORK: Serena Williams survived a third-round scare at the US Open to topple 2017 champion Sloane Stephens 2-6, 6-2, 6-2 and keep alive her bid for a record-equalling 24th Grand Slam title.
A sure-footed Stephens pounced early as third seed Williams struggled with her first serve and committed 13 unforced errors in the first set, claiming an early break for a 2-1 lead.
The 26th seed kept Williams on the run as she saved two break points, with the 38-year-old struggling to find her rhythm.
But the momentum dramatically shifted in Williams' favour in the second set. The third seed opened a 4-2 lead as she cleaned up her game and kept psyching herself up in the absence of the legions of fans who usually flock to Flushing Meadows.
The stands are empty this year due to the novel coronavirus pandemic.
Williams, who got just half of her first serves in during the first set, appeared increasingly confident as the match went on, dropping just one first-serve point in the third set as the contest slipped through Stephens' fingers.
Williams next faces Greek Maria Sakkari, who beat her in the third round of the Western & Southern Open just 10 days ago.
Austrian second seed Dominic Thiem saw a fightback from 2014 champion Marin Cilic to go through to the round of 16. Thiem was dominant in the first two sets before Cilic finally found his bearings at the Arthur Ashe Stadium.
Thiem hit 18 winners, committed just four unforced errors and broke serve four times on seven opportunities in the first two sets.
Cilic redoubled his efforts in the third set and managed to put a dent in Thiem's armour. He broke for 4-2 and later saved two break points while serving at 5-3 to force a fourth set.
The Croatian threatened to build his momentum in the fourth but Thiem saved three break points to hold for 3-2 before breaking critically for 4-2 in the next game.
Thiem now faces 20-year-old Canadian Felix Auger Aliassime in his last 16 match.
Two-time Grand Slam winner Victoria Azarenka is back into the second week at the US Open for the first time since 2015 after unraveling the rising Iga Swiatek in straight sets.
Azarenka's dominant return to form continued on Saturday evening with a commanding display against Swiatek on Louis Armstrong Stadium, raining down 25 winners and four winners to win 6-4, 6-2 after just over an hour and a half.
Australian Open champion Sofia Kenin is through to the fourth round for the first time after a straight sets win over the tricky Ons Jabeur.
No 2 seed Kenin had to weather a barrage of 35 winners coming from the Tunisian's racquet, but she stayed solid to break Jabeur's serve three times and fire 13 winners of her own, fighting her way to a 7-6(4), 6-3 victory.
Russian Daniil Medvedev rolled through the third round by demolishing American JJ Wolf 6-3, 6-3, 6-2. The third seed seized the early momentum, breaking Wolf's serve for a 3-2 lead in the first set in which he committed just two unforced errors in a show of near-flawless play.
Greece's Maria Sakkari needed just 55 minutes to go past error-prone American teen Amanda Anisimova 6-3, 6-1 and book her spot in the fourth round at her second consecutive Grand Slam.
The 22nd-seeded Anisimova, who turned 19 on Monday, made 28 unforced errors and recorded just four winners. Sakkari made eight errors. Agencies