Serena Williams Cruises To Second-Round Victory In US Open [Video]

Wimbledon champion Serena Williams eased into the third round of the US Open on Thursday after a straight sets victory over Spain’s Maria Jose Martinez Sanchez.

Shortly after her 30-year-old American contemporary Andy Roddick announced he would retire from tennis (after the US Open ends in September), Serena put on a show for the crowd at Arthur Ashe Stadium, besting Martinez Sanchez in just an hour and 22 minutes 6-4 6-2.

During the match, the three-time winner of the US Open, fourth seed Williams clubbed 11 aces past Martinez Sanchez, and notched 32 winners to the Spaniard’s five.

Despite the comfortable nature of the win, Williams, who turns 31 in September, was unhappy with her performance.

“It was one of those days. I wasn’t really happy with the way I was playing,” said Serena, who had to recover from a break down in the second set. “I just wasn’t happy out there in general. I think I woke up on the wrong side of the bed.”

Serena, the 14-time grand slam champion, will next face Russia’s Ekaterina Makarova, who beat her at the Australian Open this year.

Meanwhile, Venus Williams did not encounter the same fate as her sister, as she was knocked out by Wimbledon semi-finalist Angelique Kerber from Germany.

Left-hander Kerber, who made the semi-finals last month at Wimbledon and at last year’s US Open, defeated Williams 6-2 5-7 7-5 in a match which lasted beyond midnight local time at Flushing Meadows after going over two-and-a-half hours.

“It was unbelievable, it was such a tough match and very close. Venus is such a great player and has won so many Grand Slam titles,” said Kerber, who benefitted from Williams committing 60 unforced errors.

Highlights of Serena’s match against Martinez Sanchez can be seen below:

For a live streaming of US Open play beginning at 11 am EST, head over the US Open’s official website.