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| Venue of events: Flushing Meadows, New York Dates: August 31 to September 13 |
| Coverage: Selected radio and text commentary live on BBC Radio 5 Live Sports Extra, BBC Sounds, the BBC Sport website and app. |
Six-time champion Serena Williams fought back from a slow start to beat fellow American Sloane Stephens and reach the knockout stages of the US Open.
Third-seeded Williams, 38, was slow in the first set before increasing his intensity to win 2-6 6-2 6-2 against 26th-seeded Stephens in New York.
“It was intense, we always have incredible games,” he said.
Williams, aiming to clinch the 24th Grand Slam singles title, takes on the 15th seed in Greece Maria sakkari following.
Sakkari, 25 years old, beat Williams in all three sets at the Western and Southern Open last week.
Williams gave a damning self-assessment after losing to Sakkari, saying there were “really no excuses” after he missed a set and a break in that match.
She now has a chance to quickly avenge the loss after showing off her fighting qualities against 2017 champion Stephens.
While Williams’ game has yet to approach the devastating levels that have earned him 23 major singles titles, the courage and determination displayed in changing course against Stephens will have sent a message to the rest of the field.
It remains to be seen if that will be enough to win another Grand Slam, move to the level of Australia’s Margaret Court’s record and leave behind the demons of losing her last four major finals.
Against Stephens, it was a story of contrasting opening sets. The youngest American dominated the first with Williams without intensity, before the roles were finally reversed in the second.
Stephens tried to move the 38-year-old Williams down the court in Game 1 and then knocked her out with big winners.
“In that first set I don’t think he made any mistakes, he was playing so clean,” Williams said.
As you’d expect from a former Grand Slam champion, Stephens has plenty of class to upset the best.
However, the 27-year-old has struggled for consistency the past two seasons and entered the game against Williams without having beaten a top-10 player for nearly two years.
That inconsistency showed as the match progressed.
Stephens had a chance to break for a 3-2 lead in the second when Williams, gasping for air between serves, double-faulted.
However, Williams discovered his most potent weapon, his first serve, to retain and demoralize Stephens.
Her level dropped from that point when a rejuvenated Williams won 10 of the past 12 games to continue her record of reaching at least the fourth round in all US Open appearances since 1999.
“I just said I don’t want to lose in straight sets, because she was playing well,” said Williams, who last won the title at Flushing Meadows in 2014.
“I said, ‘Serena, get a game, get a game,’ and the next thing I knew, I won the second set.”
Analysis
BBC tennis correspondent Russell Fuller
The Serena Williams who started this match looked nothing like a potential champion, but the one who finished it will at least give the rest of the field a pause to think.
In the first set, Williams was very slow and her serve below par. Meanwhile, Sloane Stephens was playing much more like the 2017 champion than the woman who has yet to beat a top 100 opponent this year.
But having saved a break point in the fifth game of the second set, Williams began to find her range and intensity.
She will then face Maria Sakkari, who beat her at Flushing Meadows at last week’s WTA event. The question now is whether he can repeat the trick in a Grand Slam setting.
Pironkova’s dream comeback continues
Bulgaria Tsvetana Pironkova, Playing in her first tournament after a three-year hiatus, she followed her surprising victory over 10th seed Garbine Muguruza with another upset against 18th seed Donna Vekic.
Pironkova, 32, announced in March that she planned to return after taking time off following the birth of her son in March 2018.
Known as a grass court specialist, the 2010 Wimbledon semi-finalist has reached the knockout stages at the US Open for the second time after beating Vekic 6-4 6-1.
Pironkova hasn’t lost a set all week at Flushing Meadows and will face 2017 U.S. finalist Madison Keys or French Alize Cornet next.
“There was a time, maybe for a year and a half, two years after I became a mother, when I really couldn’t imagine going back on tour,” she said.
“I was happy with the moment, I just wanted to experience everything, these new exciting moments in my life.”
Pironkova decided to go back on tour after new classification protection rules allowed players who were on maternity leave to participate in 12 events in their previous ranking.
“Having this special qualifying opportunity also gives you more motivation, because you are not starting from scratch, as we can see,” said Pironkova, who was ranked 131st in her last tournament at Wimbledon in 2017.
“I didn’t want to miss that opportunity.”
Pironkova was one of nine mothers to start in the singles draw and another of them, Serena Williams, paid tribute to that fact after her victory.
“I’m so happy that there are so many moms at the event, obviously because I’m one. I just have a totally new respect for moms,” said Williams, whose daughter Olympia saw her beat Stephens.
Williams’ comeback set up the meeting with Sakkari, who had already ended after a 6-3 6-1 win over No. 22 seed Amanda Anisimova on Saturday.
20th Czech seed Karolina Muchova progressed by beating Sorana Cirstea. The Romanian, who defeated British number one Johanna Konta in the previous round, had three match points 6-3 in the tie-break of the last set, but ultimately lost 6-3 2-6 7-6 (9- 7).
16th seeded Belgium Elise mertens She had a 7-5 6-1 win over 18-year-old American Caty McNally.
