By: Richard Damerell
Serena Williams reached another landmark as she reached the quarter-finals of the US Open, but her sister Venus suffered defeat at Flushing Meadows.
The six-time champion swept aside Yaroslava Shvedova 6-2 6-3 to record her 308th Grand Slam match win, taking her past Roger Federer’s previous record for the most victories at major tournaments.
Serena was never seriously troubled by the 52nd-ranked Kazakh as she stayed on track for a 23rd Grand Slam title and will next face fifth seed Simona Halep.
Venus had earlier suffered a heartbreaking fourth-round loss to Karolina Pliskova in New York
The 36-year-old fended off three match points to force a tie-break, but Pliskova held her nerve to complete a 4-6 6-4 7-6 (7/3) win, which sent the 10th seeded Czech into her first Grand Slam quarter-final.
The elder Williams sister won the opening set as she attempted to become the oldest female Grand Slam quarter-finalist of the Open era.
But Pliskova claimed a break mid-way through the second and soon levelled the match.
Both players dropped serve in an eventful deciding set and Pliskova failed to serve out at 6-5 up, with Williams saving a succession of break points.
There would be one more reprieve for Williams in the tie-break as she successfully challenged a match point, but Pliskova sealed victory with the very next point.
Halep joined Pliskova in the last eight after defeating Carla Suarez Navarro 6-2 7-5.
