Stanford, Washington: Serena Williams put a worrying Wimbledon behind her on Wednesday, launching her build-up to the US Open with a 7-5, 6-2 victory over Karolina Pliskova at Stanford.
The American world number one, playing for the first time since her third-round singles exit at Wimbledon was followed by a dramatic doubles retirement, showed no sign of illness or rust as she rolled to victory over the 45th-ranked Czech in 64 minutes.
After enjoying a first-round bye, the top seed punched her ticket to the quarter-finals of the WTA hardcourt tournament, where she’ll face the winner of Thursday’s second-round match between former world number one Ana Ivanovic and Canadian qualifier Carol Zhao.
Second-seeded Agnieszka Radwanska was less successful in her first outing since a disappointing Wimbledon.
Unseeded Varvara Lepchenko toppled the world number five 6-3, 3-6, 6-4 for her first win over the Polish star in six career meetings.
Radwanska, in her first match since a fourth-round Wimbledon exit, squandered a 3-1 lead in the opening set.
She broke Lepchenko three times to take the second set, but was on the defensive after an early break in the third.
Radwanska broke back to knot the set at 3-3, but Lepchenko, ranked 59th in the world, broke again for a 5-4 lead and seized her chance for a first career victory over a top-five player, holding serve in the final game to seal the triumph after two hours and 35 minutes.
With the US Open due to start on August 25, it was another disappointing outing for Radwanska.
She has yet to lift a trophy in 2014, and hasn’t reached a final since a runner-up finish to Italian Flavia Pennetta at Indian Wells in March.
Lepchenko next faces US qualifier Sachia Vickery, a 6-7 (4/7), 6-2, 6-1 winner over Puerto Rico’s Monica Puig.
Williams has captured titles at Brisbane, Miami and Rome in 2014, but she has failed to add to her tally of 17 Grand Slam singles titles, and the US Open offers her last chance this year to do so.
After falling in the third round of singles play at Wimbledon, Williams looked wobbly in a second-round doubles match from which she and her sister Venus eventually retired. Since then Serena had withdrawn from a tournament in Bastad, but she said this week her time off had helped her recover from a virus and she showed no ill-effects on Wednesday.
“She had a really good serve,” Williams said of Pliskova, who kept the first set close but finally surrendered the frame when Williams broke her in the final game.
Williams broke again in the second game en route to a 3-0 lead in the second, and broke Pliskova to love to close out the match when the Czech belted a forehand long.
Williams saved all three break points she faced in the match and fired nine aces.
“I think I played really well,” Williams said. “I’m on the right path. I’m excited and I’m looking forward to my next match.”
Meanwhile, Czech top seed Tomas Berdych and Wimbledon semi-finalist Milos Raonic advanced while US fifth seed John Isner lost Wednesday in second-round matches at the ATP and WTA Washington Open.
Berdych, seeking his 10th career ATP title and first on US soil, defeated US qualifier Robby Ginepri 6-1, 6-4 at the $1.9 million (Dh6.97 million) hardcourt tune-up for the US Open.
Canadian second seed Raonic fired 16 aces in ousting American Jack Sock 7-6 (7/3), 7-6 (7/3) while American Steve Johnson never faced a break point and withstood a 29-ace barrage to defeat countryman Isner 6-7 (5/7), 6-3, 7-6 (8/6).
And Japan’s fourth-seeded Kei Nishikori outlasted American Sam Querrey 6-4, 5-7, 6-4 to join them in the last 16.
Berdych connected on only 48 per cent of his first serves but still needed only 68 minutes to dispatch Ginepri, whose only two ATP wins this year came in the past 10 days, and book a third-round date with Canada’s Vasek Pospisil.
“I felt good on the court,” Berdych said. “My goal was from the first point try to be focused. It can be tougher after you have a few weeks off.”
Raonic, coming off a loss to Roger Federer in his first Grand Slam semi-final, advanced to a third-round match with 33-year-old Australian Lleyton Hewitt, the 2001 US Open and 2002 Wimbledon champion.
“Felt good and didn’t feel so good,” Raonic said. “You have to understand yourself and not expect to play your best tennis.”
Sock seized a 3-1 edge in the first tie-breaker but Raonic answered by winning the next six points to claim the opening set, the last coming when Sock netted a forehand.
“I’m happy was able to come back,” Raonic said.
Sock served for the second set in the 10th game but Raonic broke back and reached another tie-breaker that went to 3-3. Raonic swept the next four points, the last on a forehand winner for the victory in one hour 42 minutes.
“I just played two fairly solid tie-breakers,” Raonic said. “I made the most of my opportunities on the important points. I was able to tough that one through.”
Isner, twice a Washington runner-up, was coming off a title last week in Atlanta. He double-faulted for the third and final time on the penultimate point to help Johnson win their first meeting.
