AFP, New York :
World number one and three-time defending champion Serena Williams resumes her pursuit of the first calendar Grand Slam in 27 years plus more tennis history Wednesday at the US Open.
The 33-year-old American, who faces Dutch qualifier Kiki Bertens in a second-round afternoon match at Arthur Ashe Stadium, has already won four major titles in a row and could match Steffi Graf’s all-time Open Era record of 22 Slam singles titles by hoisting her seventh career US Open crown.
“I’m trying to take one match at a time, Williams said. “If I can just stay relaxed and stay in the points and stay calm and happy out there, I have to look at it as I have nothing to lose.”
Williams also has no top-10 foes on her half of the draw. If she reaches the US Open final, it will be her first Grand Slam final without a victory over a top-10 rival.
The highest-ranked foe in Williams’ half of the draw is Swiss teen 12th seed Belinda Bencic, who faces Japan’s Misaki Doi on Wednesday.
Bencic beat Williams in a Toronto semi-final last month and could see her again in a quarter-final.
Another possible last-eight opponent for Williams is her older sister Venus, a seven-time Grand Slam singles champion who Wednesday faces Irina Falconi.
World number one Novak Djokovic, trying to reach the US Open final for the fifth time in six tries, meets Austrian Andreas Haider-Maurer in a second-round night match at Arthur Ashe Stadium.
The nine-time Grand Slam champion from Serbia won his only US Open title in 2011 but has captured the Wimbledon and Australian Open trophies this year and only a loss to Stan Wawrinka in the French Open final denied him a chance to join Serena Williams in chasing a Grand Slam on the Flushing Meadows hardcourts.
“I’m going to do everything in my power to get an opportunity to fight for a trophy,” Djokovic said. That’s all I’m looking for.”
Spanish star Rafael Nadal, a 14-time Grand Slam champion, resumes his bid for a third US Open title after 2010 and 2013 against Argentina’s Diego Schwartzman.
Nadal and Djokovic are on a collision course in the quarter-finals.
A growing concern is the number of player retirements in first-round matches, with a record 10 men unable to complete their opening matches and two women retiring as well. Hot and humid conditions are forecast to continue into the weekend.
Defending champion Marin Cilic, the ninth seed from Croatia, takes on Russian qualifier Evgeny Donskoy while Spanish seventh seed David Ferrer, the highest-ranked remaining rival on Djokovic’s side of the draw, meets Serb Filip Krajinovic.
