Serena suffered a right ankle sprain during the second set of her US Open match, but her coach noted that the pain was manageable enough for her to win.
The American No. 8 seed delivered a nearly flawless performance at Arthur Ashe Stadium, despite being broken midway through the second set. Serena Williams, already a six-time champion, cruised past Czech player Karolina Muchova with a 6-3, 6-2 victory, converting five of her nine break points against the Wimbledon quarter-finalist.
After the match, Williams described her level of play as intense. She is now set to face the 22nd seed, Petra Martic of Croatia, for a spot in the quarterfinals. Martic secured her own place in the fourth round by defeating Latvia's Anastasija Sevastova 6-4, 6-3.
In other action, second seed Ashleigh Barty advanced to the Round of 16 following a comfortable 7-5, 6-3 win over Maria Sakkari. Additionally, the third seed, Karolina Pliskova, managed to beat Tunisia's Ons Jabeur 6-1, 4-6, 6-4 after recovering from a mid-match slump.
The tournament saw a major blow when Novak Djokovic withdrew due to a left shoulder problem. However, the situation looks promising for Williams as she chases her 7th Flushing Meadows title and 24th Grand Slam overall. Despite her ankle issues, she reached the quarterfinals by beating Petra Martic 6-3, 6-4. Further clearing her path were the exits of second seed Ash Barty and third seed Karolina Pliskova from her side of the draw on Sunday.
Williams didn't seem particularly concerned about the fact that she is one of only three top-12 seeds remaining for Monday's matches.
Throughout the current season, Williams has struggled with several health setbacks, including an injury that forced her out of the Australian Open.
Speaking ahead of her match against No. 18 Wang Qiang, Williams emphasized that she can't take any opponent lightly. She noted that every player brings their absolute best against her, regardless of their ranking. Whether she's facing the world number one or the number 80, Williams believes she must maintain her status as the greatest on court to avoid an early exit.