A fourth-round bout in the 2013 U.S. Open ended with No. 1 seed Serena Williams cruising past rival American Sloane Stephens 6-4, 6-1 on Sunday in New York.
Williams, who has put her testy relationship with Stephens in the past, only improved as the match grew old. She recorded three of her four aces and won 13-of-17 first serve points in the second set. Overall, Williams reacted well to Stephens and won 51 percent of her receiving points in total. Meanwhile, Stephens struggled and won just 26 percent of her receiving points.
Stephens beat Williams in the quarterfinals of this year's Austalian Open, and since Stephens has gone back and forth in the media regarding her relationship with -- and opinion of -- Williams.
Williams' fourth-round victory against the No. 15 seed sets up a quarterfinal match against Spain's Carla Suarez Navarro, the event's No. 18 seed. Suarez Navarro upset No. 8 seed Angelique Kerber of Germany on Sunday, 4-6, 6-3, 7-6 (3).
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