1. Murray Breezes Past Granollers in Second Round
Wimbledon champion Andy Murray advanced to the third round of the US Open with another straight-set victory.
The second-seeded Murray beat Marcel Granollers 6-4, 6-1, 6-4 on Thursday under the roof at Arthur Ashe Stadium with play suspended on the outer courts. The heavy rain outside made quite a clatter on the new roof, and Murray said in his on-court interview that it was tough at first because it was hard to hear the ball.
Murray jumped to a quick 5-2 lead in the first set, then it took about 23 minutes to get through the last two games as Granollers saved six set points and got back on serve.
But Murray earned another break to finally clinch the set after 67 minutes, then cruised through the final two sets in 75 minutes combined.
2. Serena Williams Ties Martina Navratilova’s Record
Serena Williams tied Martina Navratilova’s professional-era women’s record with her 306th career victory in a Grand Slam match, beating Vania King 6-3, 6-3 to reach US Open’s third round.
Hitting 13 aces on Thursday night with the roof closed at Arthur Ashe Stadium, Williams improved to 306-42 in matches at major tournaments.
Music power couple Beyonce and Jay Z sat behind Williams’ coach Patrick Mouratoglou in the player’s guest box.
Only Roger Federer, with 307, has won more Grand Slam matches than Williams in the Open era, which dates to 1968.
Williams can match Federer’s total by beating the 47th-ranked Johanna Larsson of Sweden on Saturday.
3. Venus Williams Beats Julia Goerges in Second Round
Venus Williams breezed through her second round match at the US Open.
The seven-time major champ had spent 2 hours and 42 minutes on court in a tense three-set victory over 93rd-ranked Kateryna Kozlova on Tuesday. But against the German veteran Julia Goerges on Thursday, Williams won 6-2, 6-3 in 78 minutes.
She had just 17 unforced errors — in complete contrast to the whopping 63 in her first-round win.
The oldest player in the draw at the age of 36, the sixth-seeded Williams is coming off a semifinal appearance at Wimbledon, her deepest run at a major since 2010.