Serena Williams had a good day on Sunday. Williams, a No. 8 seed who is in search of a record-tying 24th Grand Slam singles title, powered her way past No. 22 Petra Martic, 6-3, 6-4, in their fourth-round meeting, which came on the second birthday of Williams’s daughter, Olympia.
But even before she took the court, Williams was presented with a potentially easier road to the final, as second-seeded Ashleigh Barty and third-seeded Karolina Pliskova, both of whom were in Williams’s half of the draw, lost.
No. 18 Wang Qiang stunned Barty, 6-2, 6-4, and No. 16 Johanna Konta beat Pliskova, 6-7, (1), 6-3, 7-5.
Although Williams won in straight sets, she had to work to beat Martic, who is playing perhaps the best tennis of her career at 28.