FLUSHING MEADOWS, N.Y. — It was difficult to say who suffered the greater loss following Serena Williams’s gritty third-round victory Saturday at the U.S. Open.
Fourth-seeded Victoria Azarenka had a compelling case as the first woman to truly test Williams since the tournament began, fending off four match points before falling, 6-1, 7-6 (7-5), in a battle of exceptional quality down the stretch.
But the timing of the match was also a pity for everyone who appreciates tennis — particularly its four Grand Slam events, in which the world’s 128 best players slog through two weeks of competition designed to cull the weak and produce a championship pitting strength against strength.
That championship-caliber match was contested one week too soon at Arthur Ashe Stadium on Saturday because tournament officials refused to take into account Williams’s recent performance and her record as a three-time champion in seeding the field. Instead, they adhered to the current world rankings, which in Williams’s case reflects nearly a year’s inactivity because of illness and injury, and seeded Williams 28th.
The upshot was Saturday’s thrilling display of power, athleticism and fight between arguably the best hard-court players in the field. But it’s doubtful that the four rounds of tennis that remain before the 2011 U.S. Open women’s champion is crowned will produce anything comparable.
As has become clear since Williams returned to competition in June, there simply aren’t many women who can match her powerful groundstrokes or handle her thunderous serve. Fewer still can stand across the net, a major title on the line, and not buckle in the face of Williams’s fierce stares and shrieks that proclaim her championship mettle — as if her strokes alone weren’t enough.
At least for one set on Saturday, the hard-hitting, no-nonsense Azarenka proved that she’s one of the rare ones. Though the defeat brought her record against Williams to 1-6, Azarenka was deservedly proud of the way she battled back after getting blasted off the court in the opening set.
“To have somebody just going at you like that, it’s a bit painful,” Azarenka said, asked what it felt like to trail, 0-5, after just 17 minutes. “You try to do your best, but somebody’s on fire.”
Williams next faces former No. 1 Ana Ivanovic, who capitalized on the nervous Ashe debut of 18-year-old wild-card Sloane Stephens to cruise to a 6-3, 6-4 win.
Stephens, the last American in the women’s field other than Williams, will move into the top 100 as a result of her third-round showing in a Grand Slam — an achievement that her mother promised long ago would be rewarded with a new car.
Still, Stephens was disappointed that her jitters got in the way of showing her true potential on the sport’s biggest stage, contributing to six double faults and numerous missed opportunities.
Ivanovic conceded that Williams was an unusually tough opponent to draw in the fourth round of a major.
“I could have had somebody else maybe,” the 16th-seeded Ivanovic said. “I think she’s the hottest player out there at the moment.”
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