FLUSHING MEADOWS, N.Y. — Serena Williams stared down her most formidable opponent yet at the U.S. Open on Monday: The 20-mph gusts that bedeviled Arthur Ashe Stadium.
“It was crazy,” Williams said. “I didn’t even try to go for winners at any point. I just tried to get it over because it was so windy.”
But neither wind nor Ana Ivanovic could derail Williams’ charge into the quarterfinals, with the three-time U.S. Open champion easily handling the aggravating conditions and former world No. 1 to notch yet another straight-sets victory, 6-3, 6-4.
Williams moves on to face 17th-seeded Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, who upset No. 7 seed Francesca Schiavone 5-7, 6-3, 6-4 and a potential semifinal against top-seeded Caroline Wozniacki.
Wozniacki came back from a set and a break down to beat Svetlana Kuznetsova 6-7 (6), 7-5, 6-1 in a match that lasted 3 hours, 2 minutes.
Wozniacki was trailing 4-1 in the second set when she began her comeback and kept alive her hopes of winning her first Grand Slam title.
Top American Mardy Fish was stopped short in his bid to reach the quarterfinals by 11th seed Jo-Wilfried Tsonga of France. The eighth-seeded Fish had the upper hand early but called for a trainer to work on his ailing right hip after Tsonga leveled the score at two sets each. And as Fish faded, Tsonga grew stronger, closing with a 6-4, 6-7 (5), 3-6, 6-4, 6-2 victory.
And top seed Novak Djokovic survived a thrilling first-set tiebreak against a free-hitting youngster from Ukraine, Alexandr Dolgopolov, to advance, 7-6 (16-14), 6-4, 6-2. The tiebreak alone lasted 28 minutes, extended by breathtaking winners, clutch volleys and ill-time gaffes caused by nerves and wind.
“It’s a mental ability to handle the pressure, to play well at the right moments,” said Djokovic, who improved to 61-2 this season.
Djokovic and defending champion Rafael Nadal, who showed no lingering effects in a Monday morning practice from the leg cramps that followed his fourth-round victory, are the only men remaining who have yet to lose a set in the tournament.
A two-time U.S. Open finalist (2007, 2010), Djokovic next faces his good friend, fellow Serbian and Davis Cup teammate Janko Tipsarevic, who defeated Juan Carlos Ferrero of Spain, 7-5, 6-7 (7-3), 7-5, 6-2.
It was a big serving display for Tipsarevic, who finished with 20 aces and faced just two break points in the three-hour 43-minute match. Djokovic has won their two previous meetings.
