Serena battles through second-round test at US Open

Friday, 4 September 2020 11:51

By REUTERS

MATTHEW STOCKMAN / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / GETTY IMAGES VIA AFP

Serena Williams battled her way through to a 6-2 6-4 victory over Russia's Margarita Gasparyan in the second round of the US Open on Thursday.

A dominant Williams sailed through the first set at Arthur Ashe Stadium, closing out the first game with one of seven aces in the match before breaking her unseeded opponent's serve on the second game to take an early 2-0 lead.

Williams, who continues her bid for a record-equaling 24th Grand Slam title, now faces 2017 champion Sloane Stephens.

Meanwhile, Canadian Felix Auger-Aliassime proved too strong for former champion Andy Murray, cutting short the Briton's Grand Slam comeback with a breezy 6-2 6-3 6-4 victory in the second round.

Before the start of the match, the 20-year-old Auger-Aliassime had said he would look to be aggressive against his three-time Grand Slam winning opponent.

More from Sports News

Swiatek, Gauff through to Australian Open 2nd Round

World number two Iga Swiatek advanced to the second round of the Australian Open on Monday with an unconvincing 6-3 6-4 win against first-time opponent Katerina Siniakova on John Cain Arena.
Sinner survives tough test, Alcaraz eases through

Jannik Sinner launched his Australian Open title defence with a 7-6 7-6 6-1 win over Nicolas Jarry on Monday in a match that put the players' contrasting doping cases in the spotlight, while Carlos Alcaraz began his bid to complete a career Grand Slam with a 6-1 7-5 6-1 win over Kazakh Alexander Shevchenko.
DP World ILT20 Season 3 kicks off

The stage was set on Sunday for the highly anticipated return of the DP World ILT20 Season 3, promising to mesmerise cricket fans across the globe.
Amorim sees progress in Man United's shootout win at Arsenal

Manchester United boss Ruben Amorim said his team are still improving, as Sunday's dramatic FA Cup penalty shootout victory over Arsenal points to a more positive future after a difficult start to life at Old Trafford.