Serena Williams wins quarterfinal in 44 minutes; Wang hits 0 winners

NEW YORK—Serena Williams wrapped up her quarterfinal win—marking her 100th US Open victory—over Wang Qiang in a tidy 44 minutes. She won 6-1, 6-0, and hit 25 winners. Her opponent, the 18th-ranked payer in the world, hit none.

"It’s really unbelievable: literally because from when I first stated here I think I was 16, I didn’t think I would ever get to 100," Serena said. "It never crossed my mind that I’d still be out here."

She wasn't "out here" for very long, with Wang not getting on the board until after she trailed 5-0. The post-match interview took longer than the last few games. Any injury concerns over her rolled ankle are well behind the 37-year-old.

"I’m still here," she said. "So physically I’m feeling great."

The two were meeting for the very first time; at this deep stage of a Grand Slam it's unusual for Serena to see a fresh opponent. She figured the best solution was to aim for perfection.

"When I play someone that I know is playing really well, I know I have to step it up or go home," she said.

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Wang enjoyed a confidence boost going into New York by reaching the semifinals at the Bronx Open; her best previous best result of the season was a quarterfinal in Miami. The Chinese No. 1 established herself at the top last year when she dominated the late-season stretch in Asia, winning titles in Nanchang and Guangzhou, reaching the finals in Hong Kong and Zhuhai, and appearing in the semifinals in Wuhan and Beijing. Ranked as low as No. 80 in July of 2018, she finished her career-best season at No. 20.

Going into Tuesday night, Wang hadn't dropped a set in New York, including in a 6-2, 6-4 win over world No. 2 Ashleigh Barty in the fourth round. Serena had lost one set to 17-year-old American Caty McNally in the second round. You never would have known that today.

Serena will meet an on-fire Elina Svitolina on Thursday.

"She's has a great year as well," Serena said. "I’ll have to be able to come out again and play really well. We'll see. I’m ready and I’m happy and I’m enjoying it."

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