Big serve comes up aces for Serena Williams when she needs it at US Open

When she needed it, Serena Williams was able to lean on her big serve to send Kaia Kanepi of Estonia out of the US Open. Williams moves on to the quarter-finals to face Flavia Pennetta. Kena Betancur Show more

NEW YORK // Two-times defending champion Serena Williams rode her big serve to a 6-3, 6-3 victory over Kaia Kanepi of Estonia to advance to the quarter-finals of the US Open on Monday.

Williams won all her first-serve points in the opening set, including six aces, as she pounded them in at 63 per cent and never faced break point in the set.

The second set saw both players struggle on serve with a total of six breaks registered as Williams, who belted eight aces, won with her fourth service break in the final game of the 65-minute match between the ferocious hitters.

“She hits the ball incredibly hard and moves the ball around,” said Williams, who hopes to make up for a disappointing recent run in grand slam tournaments, which has seen her fail to advance past the fourth round in any of the previous majors this year.

“I just keep fighting and I relaxed. I said, ‘Serena, whatever happens, you’re still in doubles’.

“I finally made a quarter-final this year,” she shouted to the Arthur Ashe Stadium crowd with arms upraised.

“I think I felt [the pressure] in my serving game, ‘Can I please make it to the quarters once this year’. I’m glad to do it in New York.”

In the last eight, Williams will face 11th seed Flavia Pennetta, who is having another good run at Flushing Meadows.

The Italian has only made one quarter-final at all the other grand slam tournaments combined but is through to her fifth in New York after a 7-5, 6-2 victory over Casey Dellacqua from Australia.

When asked to explain her success at the US Open, Pennetta said. “I don’t know. I just like to play here and maybe that’s why I play good here.”

Dellacqua has had a remarkable rise over the past year, from outside 180 in the rankings to 32, but 35 unforced errors cost her dearly against Pennetta’s consistency.

The Italian has lost all her five matches against Williams, her fellow 32 year old, but will head into the clash with a positive ­attitude.

“You just have to play your tennis and do your best,” Pennetta said. “Of course, she’s better than me, but if I believe I can beat her, maybe if she doesn’t have a good day I can do that. If I get on the court and just play and try not to lose 6-0, 6-0, I’m going to lose 6-0, 6-0.”

World No 1 Novak Djokovic was the first player through to the quarter-finals in the men's draw, after sweeping past Germany's Philipp Kohlschreiber 6-1, 7-5, 6-4.

Djokovic, who has reached the final at Flushing Meadows each of the past four years and won in 2011, has been in storming form.

The top seed needed just 19 minutes to race to a 5-0 lead before the 22nd seeded Kohlschreiber finally held serve to halt the slide.

But that small win could not stop the inevitable as Djokovic took the first set and then claimed the match in a touch over two hours without surrendering a break.

Djokovic, who has not dropped a set, will play the winner between No 8 seed Andy Murray and ninth seed Jo-Wilfried Tsonga.

Americans Bob and Mike Bryan advanced to the quarter-finals of the men’s doubles competition, defeating countrymen Bradley Klahn and Tim Smyzek 6-3, 7-6. The 36-year-old twins are chasing a 100th career doubles title together and a 10th year in a row in which they have won a major title.

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