WHAT HAPPENED: In a rematch of their third-round contest at the Western & Southern Open nearly two weeks ago, No. 3 Serena Williams avenged her loss to Greece's Maria Sakkari with a highly competitive 6-3, 6-7, 6-3 win on Labor Day to advance into the quarterfinals of the 2020 US Open.
The win allows Williams to stay on track for a record-tying 24 major titles, and marks her 17th career showing at the US Open's final eight.
Despite the pressure of playing a fourth-round match against one of the greats in Arthur Ashe Stadium, Sakkari proved unshakeable. Only a single break of serve separated the two players through the first two sets of play, as the Greek produced a performance that matched Williams' intensity and power.
When the second set reached a tiebreak, Williams quickly fell behind 0-4 in the tiebreak before fighting back to 6-6. But a couple of untimely errors from the American handed Sakkari the second set and forced a decider.
When asked if thoughts of her recent loss to Sakkari entered her head at that point in the match, Williams admitted they were there, but not for long.
"Of course I thought about it, but ever so little because it's a completely different match and a completely different moment here. I just kept fighting," said Williams on court after the match. "She was doing so well and being so aggressive, I just knew I had to do the same thing."
Sakkari threatened a repeat win by opening the third set with a break of serve against the No. 3 seed, but Williams answered with a break of her own to right the ship and take a 3-2 lead. With pressure mounting as the set wore on, Williams chipped away at Sakkari's serve until she finally got another break to go up 5-3 and served out the match in the following game.
WHAT IT MEANS: Heading into Monday's contest, the biggest storyline has been the question of whether Sakkari could repeat her comeback win over the six-time US Open champion. But playing Williams in a major is an entirely different challenge, especially when she has three confidence-building matches under her belt.
Williams joins compatriots Jennifer Brady and Shelby Rogers in the quarterfinals, and she will face either Alize Cornet or Tsvetana Pironkova in the next round.
MATCH POINT: Monday’s match against Sakkari proved another three-set test for Williams, after she went the distance against Sloane Stephens in their third-round contest. As the matches get tougher and a taste of history gets closer, can Williams maintain the same level of intensity for three more matches and finally take Slam No. 24?
WATCH: Sakkari-Williams Round of 16 Highlights
