NEW YORK — With a sure-to-be-hyped rematch with Serena Williams in the offing at the U.S. Open, Sloane Stephens held up her end of the bargain Friday.
Then Stephens — and the tennis world — needed to wait several hours to find out whether Williams would too.
From the moment the women’s draw came out at Flushing Meadows, it was clear which potential fourth-round match was the most intriguing: defending champion Williams against up-and-coming talent Stephens.
“It’s something I think everyone is looking forward to,” Stephens said.
On a ho-hum afternoon devoid of any truly significant surprises, Stephens reached the round of 16 in New York for the first time by beating 23rd-seeded Jamie Hampton 6-1, 6-3.
Williams, seeking her fifth U.S. Open title, was scheduled to play 78th-ranked Yaroslava Shvedova of Kazakhstan at night, after things came alive thanks to 2001 champion Lleyton Hewitt’s 6-4, 5-7, 3-6, 7-6 (2), 6-1 comeback victory over 2009 winner Juan Martin del Potro.
Earlier, defending champion Andy Murray and top-seeded Novak Djokovic stayed on course for a showdown in the semifinals. Djokovic beat 87th-ranked Benjamin Becker 7-6 (2), 6-2, 6-2. Murray won the last five games of his 7-5, 6-1, 3-6, 6-1 victory over Leonardo Mayer.
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