Serena Williams eyes spot in final 16 on Day 5 of US Open

NEW YORK (AP) — LOOKAHEAD TO FRIDAY

Serena Williams will try to stretch her potential farewell into the last 16, facing Ajla Tomljanovic in a third-round matchup at the U.S. Open. It's the opening match of the night session at Arthur Ashe Stadium, the same spot from which Williams won her first two matches after saying she was preparing to end her tennis career. The 23-time Grand Slam singles champion, who will turn 41 this month, would become the oldest woman to reach the fourth round of a major in the professional era, which began in 1968. Top-ranked Daniil Medvedev follows against Wu Yibing, the first man from China to win a U.S. Open match in the professional era. Andy Murray, the 2012 champion in New York, and 2021 Wimbledon runner-up Matteo Berrettini start play on Ashe at noon and are followed by Coco Gauff and Madison Keys in a matchup between two Americans who have reached a Grand Slam final.

FRIDAY’S FORECAST

Sunny. High of 79 degrees Fahrenheit (26 Celsius).

THURSDAY’S KEY RESULTS

Women’s Second Round: No. 1 Iga Swiatek beat Sloane Stephens 6-3, 6-2; Petra Martic beat No. 4 Paula Badosa 6-7 (5), 6-1, 6-2; No. 6 Aryna Sabalenka beat Kaia Kanepi 2-6, 7-6 (8), 6-4; No. 8 Jessica Pegula beat Aliaksandra Sasnovic 6-4, 6-4; No. 9 Garbiñe Muguruza beat Linda Fruhvirtova 6-0, 6-4; , No. 13 Belinda Bencic beat Sorana Cirstea 3-6, 7-5, 6-2; No. 19 Danielle Collins beat Cristina Bucsa 6-2, 7-5; No. 26 Victoria Azarenka beat Marta Kostyuk 6-2, 6-3.

Men’s Second Round: No. Rafael Nadal beat Fabio Fognini 2-6, 6-4, 6-2, 6-1; No. 3 Carlos Alcaraz beat Federico Coria 6-2, 6-1, 7-5; No. 7 Cam Norrie beat Joao Sousa 6-4, 6-4, 7-6 (4); No. 9 Andrey Rublev beat Soonwoo Kwon 6-3, 6-0, 6-4; No. 11 Jannik Sinner beat Christopher Eubanks 6-4, 7-6 (8), 6-2; No. 15 Marin Cilic beat Albert Ramos-Vinolas 6-3, 7-6 (4), 6-3; Jenson Brooksby beat No. 25 Borna Coric 6-4, 7-6 (10), 6-1.

STAT OF THE DAY

0-10 — Record for Sloane Stephens against No. 1-ranked players, matching Sara Errani for the most such attempts among active players without a win.

QUOTE OF THE DAY

“I just don’t think it’s the right thing to do in the circumstances I’m in right now.” — Marta Kostyuk, a Ukrainian, after refusing to shake Victoria Azarenka's hand following the Belarus native's victory.

___

More AP coverage of U.S. Open tennis: https://apnews.com/hub/us-open-tennis-championships and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports