Serena Williams left her opponent swinging at shadows, then Andy Roddick finished off his work with a 217kph fastball.
Roddick and Williams easily aced their latest tests in the US Open on Sunday, serving notice that they are just warming up.
Roddick overpowered Guillermo Canas 6-1, 6-3, 6-3, reaching the fourth round with an unbeatable serve and unbelievable ratio: 21 aces, zero double-faults.
”His serve is difficult. Well, almost impossible,” Canas said.
In fact, Canas’s top first serve was 202kph; Roddick’s average was 207kph.
”I had a game plan, I executed it. I took it to him,” said Roddick, who next plays number 18 Tommy Robredo. ”I really don’t have a magical explanation for it.”
Williams was almost as impressive: 12 aces and only one double-fault in a 6-4, 6-2 romp over Patty Schnyder. After it was over, Schnyder sounded a lot like Canas.
”When she serves that well, I will never be able to make a break,” she said. ”If she serves like this, it’s hard for anybody.”
The victory sent Williams into the quarterfinals against a most familiar opponent, Jennifer Capriati.
Williams is 10-6 lifetime against Capriati, including 3-3 in Grand Slam events. Capriati beat Williams in the French Open quarters this year and then lost to her in the Wimbledon quarters.
”I like playing Jennifer a lot, I really do,” Williams said. ”We always play each other. We really know each other’s games.”
Lleyton Hewitt, Amelie Mauresmo and Tommy Haas were among the other winners as the first week at Flushing Meadows wrapped up.
In perhaps the most unusual match of the day, sixth-seeded Elena Dementieva beat number 10 Vera Zvonareva 1-6, 6-4, 6-3 in a match-up of Russians.
Zvonareva cried between points, hit herself in the foot with her racket and berated herself. Even for someone prone to outbursts, it was a bit out of control.
”You wouldn’t see any fourth-round matches of a Grand Slam not emotional,” the 19-year-old Zvonareva said. ”When I’m comfortable with my tennis, when I know what I’m doing on the court and when I play for every ball, then I don’t get like this.”
Top-seeded Roger Federer and Justine Henin-Hardenne will be in action on Monday night. Andre Agassi and Venus Williams will be among those playing earlier in the day.
Serena Williams showed no ill effects from the painful left knee that forced her to pull out of last month’s Olympics. The two-time Open champion had surgery on it in August 2003, and missed eight-and-a-half months while recovering.
In fact, she said a few doctors advised her to skip this tournament.
”My knee is doing pretty good right now. I haven’t had any worries,” she said. ”I’m just excited to be here because I wasn’t supposed to come.”
The six-time Grand Slam winner wore basic black. Earlier in the week, she attracted quite a bit of attention with black, form-fitting shorts and a studded, tight tank top — she warmed up that day with black, knee-high boots.
Supermodel Naomi Campbell was on hand to watch Williams. They have gone shopping together in Los Angeles.
”She’d always tell me what I should wear. I’d try on some different outfits. She’s like, ‘Wear that one’,” Williams said.
Capriati rallied in the first set and went on to beat number 12 Ai Sugiyama 7-5, 6-2. Staving off a set point by winning an 18-stroke exchange, Capriati won the final four games.
Next up, Serena.
”I’ve played her at her best. I’ve played her at her worst,” Capriati said. ”I’ve played her at my best, me at my worst. I can just only worry about myself, really.”
Hewitt, the 2001 Open champion, won all 16 points on his serve in the first set and cruised past Feliciano Lopez 6-1, 6-4, 6-2.
Haas also reached the fourth round with a 6-2, 6-3, 7-5 win over Ricard Mello, while Robredo beat Alexander Peya 6-3, 6-3, 6-2. Number 28 Joachim Johansson downed Stefan Koubek 6-7 (2), 7-6 (1), 6-1, 6-3; Michael Llodra topped Jurgen Melzer 6-3, 6-2, 7-5; and Tomas Berdych beat Mikhail Youzhny 2-6, 6-1, 6-3, 4-6, 6-1.
Dementieva advanced to face number two Amelie Mauresmo, who beat number 19 Francesca Schiavone 6-4, 6-2.
At 25, Mauresmo has reached the quarterfinals in the previous seven major tournaments she has played in. But she is still looking for her first Grand Slam championship.
”That doesn’t worry me at all,” she said. ”I think I’m feeling confident that it’s going to come.” — Sapa-AP