Serena Williams will face Flavia Pennetta of Italy in her first Grand Slam quarterfinal of the year at Flushing Meadows on Tuesday.
The 32-year-old is just three victories away from becoming the second woman to win three US Open titles consecutively and sixth overall, tying up with Chris Evert.
Williams beat 50th-ranked Kaia Kanepi of Estonia 6-3, 6-3 in just 64 minutes to advance to her 12th quarterfinal in New York. The top seed has not dropped any set at the 2014 US Open so far.
"I finally made a quarterfinal this year!" Williams shouted to the crowd in Arthur Ashe Stadium during an on-court interview.
"I'm playing a little better I think than I was in the beginning of the year. I'm also a little more relaxed. I think I played really well in Brisbane. I didn't play well again until I think maybe Cincinnati. So just being more consistent."
Pennetta is in the quarterfinals for the fourth time in a row. She defeated Julia Goerges, Shelby Rogers, Nicole Gibbs and Casey Dellacqua en route. The Italian ousted Dellacqua 7-5, 6-2 in the fourth round to set up a battle against the dangerous Williams.
"I think we had a lot of things in common. We have a lot of injury, we come back and we stop and we come back. It was not easy also her career. She's starting to play better and better now. She's more consistent. Maybe just with age it's coming," Pennetta said, when asked about Dellacqua.
This is Williams' sixth meeting with Pennetta on a professional tour. Williams leads head-to-head record 5-0. The American had recorded a straight set 6-2, 6-2 victory only weeks ago in Cincinnati.
"I don't think I have easy matches against her. I think she plays really well. I think the older she gets the better she plays, to be honest. It is not an easy matchup for me. We played in Cincinnati. I won. But she played well," Williams pointed out.
"This is a new week. She obviously learned a lot from that experience and she's going to come out ready to fire and to play again."
Williams and Pennetta are scheduled to play on Arthur Ashe Stadium at 4:30 am IST.
Where to Watch Live
The day's action is scheduled for 9:30 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.
