Rafa Nadal sent an ominous warning to his rivals about his intentions to win the US Open and complete his collection of grand slam titles with another impressive straight-sets win on Sunday.
The Spanish world number one, getting better with each match on the back of a new and improved serve, overpowered France’s Gilles Simon 6-4, 6-4, 6-2 to steam into the fourth round without dropping a service game in three matches.
“It was important not to lose without dropping a set,” Nadal said. “Every day I seem to play much better which is good for my confidence.”
Venus Williams and Kim Clijsters passed their first real tests of the championship with flying colours to safely book their places in the women’s quarterfinals.
The pair could hardly have been more impressive as they swept past tricky opponents to remain on course for a blockbuster semifinal showdown when the last grand slam of the season enters the second week.
Williams, the champion at Flushing Meadows in 2000 and 2001, defeated Israeli 16th seed Shahar Peer 7-6, 6-3 in an ideal test for the more difficult matches ahead of her.
“It’s always good to have a tougher match, a kind of a match where you have to challenge yourself against your opponent and the conditions,” Williams said.
“We always have had very competitive matches, so I know it’s not going to be something I just walk through when I play against her.
“I have to stay focused and ready to take every point or else she will. It was a good challenge.”
Clijsters, who won the title in 2005 and again last year, thrashed Serbia’s former world number one Ana Ivanovic 6-2, 6-1 in just under an hour. Like Nadal and Williams, she is yet to drop a set in the championship.
“You always want to do well at tournaments where you’ve done well, and obviously, the US Open is a special tournament for me,” Clijsters said.
“Tennis wise, I feel that I’ve been improving every match. I want to try and keep it going.”
Schiavone cuises
Italy’s Francesca Schiavone, brimming with confidence after winning her maiden grand slam title at this year’s French Open, also cruised through to the last eight, beating Russia’s Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova 6-3, 6-0.
Schiavone will play Williams in Tuesday’s quarterfinals while Clijsters will face the winner of Sunday’s late match between Australia’s Samantha Stosur and Elena Dementieva of Russia.
“I feel better than when I was in French Open, but just because I know how to do it and how to win a match like this,” Schiavone said.
“So I’m very curious, I’m interested to see [if I can] write a new history.”
Spain are already assured of at least one men’s semi-finalist after Fernando Verdasco, David Ferrer and Felciano Lopez joined their countryman Nadal in the same section of the draw.
Nadal will face Lopez next with the winner to play either Ferrer or Verdasco.
A fifth Spaniard, Albert Montanes, is already through to the last 16 on the bottom half of the draw with a sixth, Tommy Robredo, yet to play his third-round match.
“It’s always nice to see all the Spanish winning and being in the last rounds,” said Verdasco, who advanced with a four set win over Argentine David Nalbandian. – Reuters