Serena Williams and Andy Murray had brief hiccups on the way to convincing victories at the U.S. Open, each choosing different tactics to remain on track for a long ride into the year’s final grand slam.
Williams screamed, pumped her first, and jumped up and down in a victory over Maria Jose Martinez Sanchez, while Murray was stoic after a swift, one-set wobble against Paul Capdeville.
“I got nasty today, but to myself,” Williams said after her 6-3 7-5 victory yesterday over the Spaniard. “I was just screaming to myself because I wasn’t very happy with my performance.”
Murray, hoping to be the first Briton to win the U.S. championship since 1936, calmly reversed the momentum after losing the second set to his Chilean opponent.
“I played three very good sets and one poor one. But you’re allowed to play a bad set sometimes,” the second-seeded Scotsman said after his 6-2 3-6 6-0 6-2 second-round victory.
“I came back well from it. I just felt a little bit lethargic, a little bit low on energy. I don’t know why, but managed to pick it up at the end when I needed to.”
There were no major upsets under sunny skies at the Open, with Belgian Kim Clijsters advancing on the women’s side, and Argentine Juan Martin Del Potro among the men.
Two-times champion Venus Williams was to face Slovak Magdalena Rybarikova before number three seed Rafael Nadal takes the court against Germany’s Nicolas Kiefer.
Serena’s match against Martinez Sanchez produced none of the drama some were expecting after their tiff on the clay courts at the French Open in May.
When Williams beat Martinez Sanchez at Roland Garros, she branded her a “cheat” after the Spaniard claimed she had hit a winner only to have replays show the ball had glanced off her arm.
