Supreme Serena targets 18th major at US Open

Monday, 25 August 2014 00:03 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

AFP: Serena Williams is taking nothing for granted as she vies for a third straight US Open title, which would put her alongside two greats of the game.

The 32-year-old once known for stepping up her game when it mattered most has thrice been thwarted in 2014 in her bid to join Chris Evert and Martina Navratilova as 18-time Grand Slam singles champions. Although she has lifted five WTA trophies this year, she has failed to make it past the fourth round at the Australian Open, French Open or Wimbledon. So she sounded wary of the suggestion that a return to Flushing Meadows, where she has won five US Open titles, would produce major number 18. “Yeah, Australian, Wimbledon, and French also could have been 18,” she said. “Didn’t quite happen.” But Williams was firing on all cylinders as she won two hardcourt titles in the buildup to the Open, signalling she won’t surrender her crown without a fight. Her straight-sets win over Ana Ivanovic in the final at Cincinnati showed Williams at her dominant best. “At some point of the match, I actually felt quite embarrassed walking from one side to the other for returns,” Ivanovic said of the near-hopelessness of returning Williams’ best serve. It was a long way from Ivanovic’s fourth-round victory over Williams at the Australian Open, where the American was hindered by back pain.