As the second round of the U.S. Open enters primetime on Thursday night, many big names including Serena Williams and Roger Federer have already punched their ticket to the next stage.
Williams, No. 4 in the tournament, wrapped up her match against Spaniard Maria Jose Martinez Sanchez in straight sets, 6-2, 6-4, earlier Thursday afternoon, blasting 11 aces and 32 winners past Martinez Sanchez.
Top-ranked Federer dispatched his opponent, German Bjorn Phau, in a smooth straight set victory, 6-2, 6-3, 6-2. The longest set, the first, lasted 32 minutes, with the second and third wrapping up in 29 minutes each, respectively.
Federer was in control for much of the match, slicing 15 aces, but Phau didn't help his own cause either, committing seven double faults to go along with 17 unforced errors.
No. 23 Fish, however, didn't have such an easy time en route to a victory. After dropping the first two sets 6-4 and 7-6(7-4), the American rallied to defeat Nikolay Davydenko in the final three sets, 6-2, 6-1, 6-2.
The first two sets lasted nearly an hour each, while the final three flew by relatively quickly at 28, 30 and 39 minutes apiece.
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