NEW YORK (Reuters) – Germany’s Angelique Kerber advanced to the last 16 of the U.S. Open with a 6-3 6-4 victory over 20-year-old American Ann Li at the Louis Armstrong Stadium on Friday.
Kerber, a three-times Grand Slam champion who won the title at Flushing Meadows in 2016, converted four break points while Li — who is ranked 128 in the world — was let down by 28 unforced errors.
Li did however give a good account of herself, taking risks with some powerful forehand winners that caught the 17th seed Kerber off guard, but the 32-year-old German dictated play on the crucial points and was broken only once in the contest.
Kerber will next face either France’s Caroline Garcia, who knocked out top seed Karolina Pliskova in the second round, or American Jennifer Brady.
(Reporting by Rohith Nair in Bengaluru; Editing by Ken Ferris)
