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AFP
New York
Venus Williams moved into a potential US Open third round duel with sister Serena on Wednesday after the 38-year-old American downed Italy's Camila Giorgi 6-4, 7-5.
The 2001 and 2002 champion in New York will face Serena for a place in the last 16 if the six-time winner gets past Germany's Carina Witthoeft under the Arthur Ashe Stadium lights later in the day.
"The last time we played in Australia it was two against one so this time it will be fair," joked Venus of her most recent meeting with her sister at the 2017 Australian Open, when Serena won the title despite being in the early stages of pregnancy.
On Wednesday, Venus notched up her 775th career win, braving the sweltering 35-degree heat to make the third round in New York for the 17th time.
"I was happy to complete the match in the shade. I'm pretty pumped to get through."
Wimbledon champion Novak Djokovic suffered in sweltering conditions on Tuesday but battled through to the second round with a 6-3, 3-6, 6-4, 6-0 victory over Hungarian Marton Fucsovics.
Djokovic, playing his first match on Arthur Ashe Stadium since falling to Stan Wawrinka in the 2016 final, received a brutal welcome back to Flushing Meadows as soaring temperatures and high humidity prompted organizers to offer the men a 10-minute mid-match heat break for the first time ever.
"We both struggled. We were not the only ones today. Brutal conditions,"said Djokovic, who called for trainers who enveloped him in ice packed towels late in the second set.
"I had to find a way to dig myself out of the trouble."
His Cincinnati Masters victory over Roger Federer stamped him a US Open favorite along with defending champion Rafael Nadal, despite his modest sixth seeding.
He certainly looked a contender as he reeled off the last 10 games against Fucsovics, showing signs of sharper focus even before the 10-minute heat break between the third and fourth sets.
Federer, the second seed, escaped the worst of the conditions as he headlined the night session on Ashe. Nor did he meet much resistance from Japan's Yoshihito Nishioka in a 6-2, 6-2, 6-4 victory.
"I didn't know how really good Nishioka was,"Federer admitted of the 22-year-old, who was ranked 58th in the world last March before tearing a left knee ligament and sliding out of the top 150.
"I wanted to play well at the beginning of each set. I was able to break the beginning of each set, cruise after that. I was very happy."
Fourth-seeded German Alexander Zverev kept his time in the sun to a minimum with a 6-2, 6-1, 6-2 victory over Canadian lucky loser Peter Polansky.
And Australian Nick Kyrgios, opening the evening action on Louis Armstrong stadium, fired 25 aces and 48 total winners in a 7-5, 2-6, 6-4, 6-2 victory over Moldova's Radu Albot.
For many, however, the day was a hard slog and the decision made some two hours in to afford the men a heat break after a third set wasn't enough to prevent half a dozen retirements.
Italy's Stefano Travaglia, Argentine Leonardo Mayer, Lithuanian Ricardas Berankis, Russian Mikhail Youzhny and Serbian Filip Krajinovic were all victims of the heat while Romanian Marius Copil succumbed to an arm injury in the third set of his match with seventh-seeded former champion Marin Cilic.
Maria Sharapova overcame a shaky start and survived a spirited fightback from Patty Schnyder to defeat the Swiss veteran 6-2 7-6(6) in the first round of the U.S. Open on Tuesday.
Five-times Grand Slam champion Sharapova, who won at Flushing Meadows in 2006, struggled with her serve at times in the opening set but Schnyder failed to take full advantage.
Women's second seed Caroline Wozniacki took the weather in stride, trying to"think cool thoughts"as she defeated 2011 champion Samantha Stosur 6-3, 6-2.
For France's Alize Cornet, however, the steamy conditions were a"nightmare"that had her weeping courtside during a three-set loss to Johanna Larsson of Sweden.
In other women's matches, reigning Wimbledon champion Angelique Kerber, seeded fourth, defeated Russian Margarita Gasparyan 7-6 (7/5), 6-3.
Two-time Wimbledon winner Petra Kvitova beat Belgian Yanina Wickmayer 6-1, 6-4 and 2017 runner-up Madison Keys downed France's Pauline Parmentier 6-4, 6-4.
