Serena struggles in win; Federer moves on at Open

Associated Press

New York

What started out as a breeze turned into something much more difficult for Serena Williams on Saturday.

Williams won her third-round match, 6-1, 7-6 (5) over fourth-seeded Victoria Azarenka, but not before losing her first four match points and getting pushed to the limit in the second set by the Belarussian, who suddenly found her footing in Arthur Ashe Stadium.

Earlier, No. 3 Roger Federer defeated 27th-seeded Marin Cilic 6-3, 4-6, 6-4, 6-2 to make it to the round of 16 for the 30th straight time in a Grand Slam tournament.

Federer needs an Open title to extend his streak to nine straight years with a major championship. He fought off the range of his 6-foot-6 opponent and dealt with an unpredictable wind on the show court to win his 225th match at a major, second best behind Jimmy Connors.

“I’m on track because I’m in the tournament,” Federer said. “That’s the most important at the end of the day. I seriously don’t care how I’m playing. I wish I could play my best every single time and feel amazing. That’s not reality.”

Federer’s only major hiccup came at the end of the second set, when he got broken in the last game off a big Cilic forehand that Federer couldn’t get back.

With Cilic facing a break point while serving at 4-all in the third set, he was warned by the chair umpire for a time violation. Cilic promptly double-faulted, giving Federer a 5-4 lead. Third-seeded Federer won seven of the next nine games to close out the match.

Earlier in the stadium, top-seeded Caroline Wozniacki rolled through her third straight match, avoiding the upset bug that has turned big sections of the women’s bracket into a free-for-all.