• US Open, Day Four

Serena survives scare to progress

Serena Williams scampers for a forehand © Getty Images

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Serena Williams showed no signs of injury but was given a stiff test before overcoming Maria Jose Martinez Sanchez to reach the third round of the US Open.

The Wimbledon champion turned her ankle during a doubles game on Wednesday and required extensive treatment. Her practice session on Thursday was notably short, but she stepped on Arthur Ashe Stadium and worked extremely hard against an unorthodox opponent to claim a 6-2 6-4 win.

Williams, the No. 4 seed, hit powerfully from the off to dispel concerns over her ankle and opened with a love service hold.

Martinez Sanchez's game plan appeared to be to try and rush Williams and she served and volleyed to good effect in the opening game. But after a second love hold from Williams, she came under pressure as the American found her range on the return.

It looked one-way traffic as Williams held to love for a third time, but Martinez Sanchez continued her tactic of rushing her opponent by taking the ball early and she worked break points in the seventh game. Williams looked uncomfortable against a sort of challenge she does not usually face and became very animated, but she fended off the break points to hold.

Williams broke again to secure the first set, but the crowd on Ashe were stunned at the start of the second as their favourite capped off a sloppy game with a double fault to hand a break to Martinez Sanchez.

With Martinez Sanchez mixing up pace, spin and angles, it was proving to be a tricky puzzle for Williams and she had to stave off three break points to avoid going 3-0 down in the second set.

Williams does not often need helping hands, but she was given one in the fourth game as Martinez Sanchez sent down three double faults to gift the break back.

Martinez Sanchez did not roll over but Williams' superior power told in the 10th game as she broke to close out the match.

Serena's sister, Venus Williams, did not fare so well as she bowed out in a marathon three-set match against Angelique Kerber. Williams - who served 16 double faults - took time to get used to Kerber's angled backhand, but battled back to send the match into a deciding set.

However, Kerber made a critical break of serve in the 11th game of the final set and duly served out the match which finished well after midnight in New York.

No. 2 seed Agnieszka Radwanska kept her title hopes alive, but was given a huge scare before seeing off Carla Suarez-Navarro 4-6 6-3 6-0.

Suarez-Navarro was rewarded for some impressive hitting by taking the opening set and some ragged play had Radwanska throwing her arms up in frustration. But she steadily found her form and ran away with the match after edging a tight second.

Ana Ivanovic breezed into the third round with a dominant 6-2 6-2 win over Sofia Arvidsson. The 12th seed had to save a break point in her opening service game but that was the only real moment of alarm as she proved much too strong for Arvidsson.

Jelena Jankovic, the 30th seed, joined her fellow Serbian in round three with a battling 6-4 6-2 win over Lara Arruabarrena-Vecino.

Maria Kirilenko was another seed to progress with ease, with the Russian running out a 6-3 6-2 winner over Greta Arn. The 14th seed will face Andrea Hlavackova in th third round following her win over Galina Voskoboeva.

The 13th seed Dominika Cibulkova held her nerve in two tiebreak sets to claim a 7-6(3) 70-(3) win over Bojana Jovanovski.

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