2000 and 2011 champion Venus Williams defeated 12th seed Belinda Bencic, 6-3, 6-4 in an hour and 21 minutes to book her place in the last sixteen of the 2015 U.S. Open. This is Williams' first time in the fourth round at Flushing Meadows since 2010, where she made the semifinals. If the two-time champion wants to progress further in her 68th Grand Slam, she will have to defeat rising Estonian tennis star Anett Kontaveit.
Crucial Break at 4-3 for Williams Makes the Difference in the Opening Set
In the first set, the server managed to win the first seven games of the match. The server didn't face a break point in the first five games of the match as the returner only won a total of four points. The first break points of the match presented itself when Williams was leading 3-2, on serve. The former world number one looked a lot more focused than she was in her last two matches this week as she was timing the ball beautifully. The American had a total of three break points but she was unable to take any of them as she made some costly unforced errors at an untimely time, allowing Bencic to hold for 3-all.
The Swiss number one has been having a red hot summer where she's beaten three top ten players in the last month and she showed why she's had so much success in recent weeks, with some clever play that sent Williams scrambling. Despite not taking her opportunities, Venus was not discouraged as she continued to serve well and play aggressively. With a hold to 15, Williams went up a 4-3 lead. Now hitting with controlled aggression, the 35-year-old overwhelmed her 18-year-old opponent with her brutal power. As a result, the seven-time Grand Slam champion broke to love to go up a 5-3 lead. Williams only needed one chance to serve out the opening set, as she converted her second set point of the game to win the opening set, 6-3.
Bencic Gets Early Break but Williams Fights Back, Wins the Second Set and Match
Williams began right where he left off in the opening game of the second set, as she went up 0-40 in Bencic's first service game. However, the 18-year-old has played incredibly well under pressure and she did so once again to dig out of a tough, opening service game to hold for 1-0. Despite not taking advantage of the early break points, Williams showed great resilience to hold easily, leveling the set at one-game-all. Belinda replied with an easy hold of her own to go up 2-1. In the next game, you could begin to sense that the young Swiss was beginning to adapt to the American's power and she was able to impose her game style on Williams. She had spent the first set and a half of the match trying to play Venus' game so she wouldn't get overpowered but now, she realized her game was enough to give Williams problems. Bencic earned herself her first break point and she took it then and there, thanks to a forehand error from the American number three.
Now leading 3-1, the 12th seed consolidated the break comfortably to go up a 4-1 lead. In the next game, Williams was able to put her first minor hiccup behind her as she held serve to give herself an opportunity to break Bencic, once again. It took two tries but on her second break point opportunity in the following game, Williams pounced and was rewarded with a break of serve. The former world number one had found her groove again. Now trailing 3-4, Venus was looking to hold serve to level the match at four-games-all. To her credit, she did just that - at love! Now tied at four, Bencic was looking to stop the rot of three consecutive games against her and Williams was looking to continue her momentum, to win her fourth game in a row. It was the latter who's efforts were rewarded as the seven-time Grand Slam champion was giving the young Swiss all kinds of trouble. Bencic had a game point but ultimately, it was Williams who prevailed to go up a 5-4 lead. She would attempt to serve for the match.
The American did just that as she held to 15 and converted her second match point, to win the match, 6-3, 6-4, in front of her adoring home crowd. Undoubtedly, this was Venus' best performance all tournament, as she hit 31 winners to 15 unforced errors. The two-time US Open champion will be looking to emulate that performance this Sunday when she plays Kontaveit.