Top seed Serena Williams will look to enter her first Grand Slam quarterfinal of the year with a victory over Kaia Kanepi in the fourth round on Monday, while Eugenie Bouchard and former world no. 1 Victoria Azarenka will also battle it out in the pre-quarterfinals at Flushing Meadows.
Williams has dominated over her opponents so far in the US Open, winning all matches in straight sets. The American dispatched three compatriots -- Taylor Townsend 6-3, 6-1, Vania King 6-1, 6-0 and Varvara Lepchenko 6-3, 6-3, in the first, second and third rounds respectively.
"I've been a casualty this whole year at Grand Slams. I'm just hoping to keep staying in there," Williams said referring to her early exits in previous Majors in 2014.
"I had to make some adjustments, but my coach gave me some excellent advice on playing in the wind, so I think I was able to play a lot better than the other day. My opponent today was spectacular. It was a really tough match and it just shows how far Varvara has come – I'm really proud of her," added Williams after her win over Lepchenko.
"She really raised her game to an unbelievable level and I just tried to hang in there. I tried to remember what I needed to do and what I should do."
Williams will now face Estonian Kanepi in the fourth round at Arthur Ashe Stadium. Williams has a 3-0 head-to-head record against Kanepi and they last met in Beijing in 2009.
The world no. 50 has never won a set against the five-time US Open champion, let alone winning a match.
In another encounter, former world No. 1 Victoria Azarenka and Aleksandra Krunic will face each other for the first time on the professional tour.
Azarenka stormed past Elena Vesnina 6-1, 6-1 in just 57 minutes to set up her fourth round meeting with Krunic.
"I think it was a good progression today," said the two-time Grand Slam winner. "I want to keep thinking my best is still to come. I stayed aggressive and played well in the important moments."
However, Krunic produced an exhilarating performance in her third round clash, where she defeated reigning Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova in straight sets 6-4, 6-4, closing the match in just 41 minutes.
"I honestly didn't know what to expect from myself at all. You know, I don't know my limits. Today I think I pushed myself to my total limits," Krunic said post-match.
"Even I know that it was not Petra's best day and she missed a lot. I don't know if I made her miss with my game or not."
Meanwhile, Ekaterina Makarova from Russia will play Eugenie Bouchard in the US Open fourth round on Monday.
Makarova defeated Zarina Diyas in straight sets 6-2, 6-4 in the previous round. The Russian is in great form and will look for another upset in the tournament. She dumped Agnieszka Radwanska out of tournament last year to reach her first US Open quarterfinal.
The 20-year-old Bouchard had to fight her way to the fourth round. She defeated Czech Barbora Zahlavova Strycova 6-2, 6-7 (2), 6-4. The seventh-seeded Canadian is one of the two top-eight seeds still competing in the tournament.
Schedule of Play: Fourth Round
Serena Williams vs Kaia Kanepi starts 10:30 pm IST
Eugenie Bouchard vs Ekaterina Makarovastarts 1:30 am IST
Victoria Azarenka vs Aleksandra Krunic starts 4:30 am IST
Where to Watch Live
The day's action is scheduled for 8:30 pm IST (3:00 pm GMT, 4:00 pm BST and 11:00 am ET) start with live coverage on Ten Sports in India and live streaming option HERE. International viewers can catch the action HERE and HERE or listen to the action free HERE. The live updates of all matches are available online HERE, HERE or HERE.
Eurosport will broadcast matches live in the UK and Europe. Viewers can also live stream the action HERE or listen to the action live online on BBC HERE. Catch the action live on ESPN Network and CBS Sports Network in the United States or see live streaming HERE or HERE. SuperSport will telecast the action in South Africa and Sub Saharan Africa and viewers can catch the matches live HERE.
