Safina surges through

Safina: Easy win

US Open
Flushing Meadows, Aug 25- Sep 7
Watch live on Sky Sports Xtra - for full listings click here

Related links

News

• Safina sets up Pennetta clash
• Nerveless Nadal survives
• Federer defence rolls on
• Jankovic battles into last eight
• Venus powers through
• Kuznetsova crashes out
• Djokovic, Roddick move on
• Murray battles past Llodra
• Keothavong - Move over Andy
• A-Rod breaks French resistance
• Late twist for Djokovic
• Big guns battle through
• Venus victorious
• Federer eases through
• Gasquet tumbles to Haas
• Safin survives Spadea scare
• Tight Ivanovic stuggles through
• Winning start for Serena
• Murray - I'm back on track
• Blake battles past Young
• Jankovic breezes through opener
• Clinical Murray marches on
• Keothavong on song in US
• US Open draw - Women
• US Open draw - Men

Also see

• US Open results
• Order of play
• Tennis on Sky
• US Open history

Dinara Safina and Venus Williams both powered to comprehensive victories to reach the third round of the US Open at Flushing Meadows on Thursday.

Sixth seed Safina brushed aside Roberta Vinci of Italy 6-4 6-3 while seventh seeded Williams strolled to a 6-0 6-3 victory over Rossana de los Rios.

It has been a breakthrough season for Safina who has won three of her eight career titles in 2008. She reached the final at the Beijing Olympics but had to settle for silver after losing to Russian compatriot Elena Dementieva.

Safina hammered six aces and won 71 percent of her first serve points in the 80-minute match on the main Arthur Ashe Stadium.

The well-fancied Russian moves through to the third round where she will play Timea Bacsinszky of Switzerland.

Overdue

In another early women's match, two-time champion Williams proved far too powerful for Paraguay's de los Rios.

The 28-year-old is now targeting grand slam success on home soil for the first time since going back-to-back in 2000 and 2001.

After demolishing de los Rios 6-0 6-3 at the Arthur Ashe Stadium in 59 minutes, the seventh seed agreed that her US Open success was by now a distant recollection.

"Oh, yes, I remember," Williams said. "I won't forget, but I'd like to have a more recent memory as of like '08.

"That's pretty much the goal. I guess, kind of overdue, got to win it to deserve it."

The seventh-seeded American moves through to the third round where she will play Alona Bondarenko who beat Sabine Lisicki 6-4 1-6 6-4.

And Williams was later joined by sister Serena in the next round, the younger sibling cruising past doubles specialist Elena Vesnina of Russia 6-1 6-1 in less than an hour.