Serena Williams gets payback with dominating win

NEW YORK -- Serena Williams does not enjoy viewing videos of her losses. Not one bit.

She used to engage in that sort of film work, she said, but "it was so painful; it was like stabbing myself."

So even though Williams knew her third-round opponent at the U.S. Open would be the same woman she lost to at the Australian Open, preparing by studying a replay of that January defeat simply was out of the question.

It did not seem to matter at all.

After splitting Saturday's first eight games against 42nd-ranked Ekaterina Makarova of Russia, the fourth-seeded Williams got into high gear and breezed to a 6-4, 6-0 victory.

"Definitely was motivated. Knowing that I lost, could definitely happen again. Did not want that to happen," said Williams, who hit 13 aces.

"I really hate watching matches that I lose, unless I'm punishing myself," added the 14-time Grand Slam champion. "I didn't punish myself."

She hasn't been losing much lately.

Since the only first-round Grand Slam exit of her career, against 111th-ranked Virginie Razzano at the French Open on May 29, Williams is 22-1 in singles. She won Wimbledon and the gold medal at the London Olympics.

Williams has dropped only 12 games entering her fourth-round match against 82nd-ranked Andrea Hlavackova of Czech Republic. Hlavackova, the 2011 French Open doubles champion, bawled on court after her 5-7, 6-4, 6-4 win over 14th-seeded Maria Kirilenko.

The woman Williams beat in the Wimbledon final, second-seeded Agnieszka Radwanska, dealt with the 90-degree heat and former No. 1 Jelena Jankovic with equal aplomb during a 6-3, 7-5 victory.

"I was feeling like I was melting there," Radwanska said. "I survived the match."

Olympic champion Andy Murray, still seeking his first Grand Slam title after four losses in finals, eeked out a 7-6 (5), 7-6 (5), 4-6, 7-6 (4) victory over No. 30 Feliciano Lopez, who led in each of the three tiebreakers before faltering.

"Could have gone either way," Murray said. "It was very hot and humid in the middle part of the match. I was struggling a bit with that."

The man he beat for the gold at the Summer Games, and lost to in the Wimbledon title match, Roger Federer, is also Murray's potential semifinal opponent in New York. Federer, as is often the case, barely looked as if he broke a sweat Saturday while dismissing No. 25 Fernando Verdasco 6-3, 6-4, 6-4.

Five of Federer's record 17 Grand Slam titles came at Flushing Meadows.

"He didn't give me many chances with his serve," said Verdasco, who had only one break point and failed to convert it.

Other men's winners Saturday included No. 11 Nicolas Almagro, who ended the run of 19-year-old American Jack Sock 7-6 (3), 6-7 (4), 7-6 (2), 6-1. No. 12 Marin Cilic defeated No. 17 Kei Nishikori, and Martin Klizan of Slovakia beat No. 32 Jeremy Chardy.

On Saturday against Makarova, things were even at 4-all in the first set before Williams held serve to go up 5-4. In the next game, Williams broke the left-handed Makarova for the first time to take the opening set and seize control in Arthur Ashe Stadium.

At 15-all, Williams hit a backhand winner down the line. Then she earned a set point with big forehand to a corner that allowed her to put away a swinging backhand volley winner. And when Makarova pushed a down-the-line forehand long to cap the set, Williams let out a loud, excited yell of "Come on!"

In all, Williams won 32 of 40 points on her serve and never faced a break point.

By the time it was over, she also held a 31-10 edge in winners and moved a step closer to adding a fourth U.S. Open trophy to the ones she won in 1999, 2002 and 2008.

The last time these two women played each other, it wasn't close, either. The difference, surprisingly, was that Makarova won 6-2, 6-3 in the fourth round in Melbourne. She got plenty of help from seven double-faults and 37 total unforced errors by Williams.

That loss remains the only one for Williams in 22 Grand Slam matches against lefties.

After Saturday's victory in the rematch, Williams, who turns 31 this month, was asked during an on-court interview about decisions by her contemporaries Andy Roddick, 30, and Kim Clijsters, 29, to quit professional tennis after the U.S. Open.

"I'm nowhere near close to retiring," Williams replied, drawing a roar of approval from the crowd. "I can't leave you guys. I love this sport way too much, and now that Andy and Kim are done, I feel that I need to stay out here for the tennis. I'm not going anywhere."