Serena Williams was busy having a baby girl on Friday and isn’t competing in this year’s US Open, but that hasn’t stopped the other American women from doing well in her absence.
Five American women reached the Round of 16, with two of them already safely into the quarterfinals.
No. 9 seed Venus Williams and unseeded Sloane Stephens both won their fourth-round matches on Sunday, while No. 15 Madison Keys, No. 20 CoCo Vandeweghe and unseeded Jennifer Brady are looking to book spots in the quarters on Monday.
“It’s awesome,” Keys, 22, said after her victory over No. 17 seed Elena Vesnina ended at 1:46 Sunday morning. “If I’m getting asked about it, it means we’re all doing really well. Having so many American women in the final 16 is really amazing. I would consider all of them friends of mine. I’m really happy for all of us.”
The American women not named Williams are continually asked about comparisons to Serena, the owner of an Open-Era record 23 Grand Slam singles titles, and Venus, who owns seven major titles and reached the finals of the Australian Open and Wimbledon this year at 37.
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