New York - Venus Williams kept up with little sister Serena on Wednesday, beating 78th-ranked Timea Bacsinszky of Switzerland in straight sets to advance to the third round of the US Open.
The 34-year-old, seven-times grand slam winner reached the round for the first time in four years at Flushing Meadows through a 6-1 6-4 victory on the Arthur Ashe Stadium court which she helped christen with the first Open final there in 1997.
"I was watching Serena last night and she played so well so I tried to do the same thing," twice U.S. champion Venus said about her 32-year-old, number one-ranked sister, who blazed by fellow American Taylor Townsend in straight sets on Tuesday.
"I'm really happy to have pulled it out in the end," added Venus, who will play Italian 13th seed Sara Errani who beat Australian Anastasia Rodionova 6-4 7-6 (2).
Williams charged through the first set, but the next set stayed on serve until the ninth game when the 78th-ranked Swiss hit a wayward backhand wide to put the American 5-4 ahead.
With Williams serving for the match, Bacsinszky reached break point at 30-40 threatening to put the match back on serve.
But the 19th-seeded Williams then powered in a 96mph second serve, her fastest second serve of the match, for a winner.
"When the stakes get higher I start to hit harder," Venus said. "I can't help it, it's instinct for me.
"Sometimes it's not the smartest thing, but sometimes it works."
Williams's appearance marked 17 years since she helped christen the massive Arthur Ashe stadium center court as a 17 year old in 1997, waging the first final staged there in which she lost to Martina Hingis.
"I didn't know what I was doing, that's what I remember most," recalled a laughing Venus. "I don't know how I got to the final, I had no strategy.
"But it was a wonderful time. My family was here just as they are today(Wednesday) so that feels great."
Results on Wednesday from the third day of the US Open, the final Grand Slam tournament of 2014 (x denotes seeded player):
Men
2nd rd
Stan Wawrinka (SUI x3) bt Thomaz Bellucci (BRA) 6-3, 6-4, 3-6, 7-6 (7/1)
Blaz Kavcic (SLO) bt Jeremy Chardy (FRA x30) 6-2, 7-6 (8/6), 6-3
1st rd
Tomas Berdych (CZE x6) bt Lleyton Hewitt (AUS) 6-3, 6-4, 6-3
Martin Klizan (SVK) bt Steve Darcis (BEL) 3-6, 2-6, 7-6 (7/5), 7-5, 6-4
Alexander Kudryavtsev (RUS) bt Evgeny Donskoy (RUS) 2-6, 7-6 (8/6), 3-6, 6-3, 6-4
Teimuraz Gabashvili (RUS) bt Santiago Giraldo (COL x27) 6-3, 1-6, 7-6 (8/6), 6-3
Feliciano Lopez (ESP x19) bt Ivan Dodig (CRO) 1-6, 7-5, 2-6, 6-4, 1-1 - retired
Tatsuma Ito (JPN) bt Steve Johnson (USA) 6-2, 3-6, 5-7, 4-1 - retired
Dominic Thiem (AUT) bt Luks Lacko (SVK) 6-3, 6-3, 6-2
Ernests Gulbis (LAT x11) bt Kenny De Schepper (FRA) 6-1, 6-4, 6-2
Marin Cilic (CRO x14) bt Marcos Baghdatis (CYP) 6-3, 3-1 - retired
Illya Marchenko (UKR) bt Marco Chiudinelli (SUI) 7-6 (7/3), 4-6, 7-6 (15/13), 7-6 (7/4)
Jerzy Janowicz (POL) bt Dusan Lajovic (SRB) 6-3, 7-5, 5-7, 7-5
Kevin Anderson (RSA x18) bt Pablo Cuevas (URU) 6-3, 6-7 (3/7), 4-6, 6-2, 7-6 (7/1)
Grigor Dimitrov (BUL x7) bt Ryan Harrison (USA) 6-2, 7-6 (7/4), 6-2
Dudi Sela (ISR) bt Carlos Berlocq (ARG) 1-6, 6-3, 6-2, 7-5
David Goffin (BEL) bt Niels Desein (BEL) 6-1, 6-3, 6-3
Joao Sousa (POR x32) bt Frank Dancevic (CAN) 7-6 (8/6), 3-6, 6-2, 4-6, 7-6 (7/2)
Women
2nd rd
Angelique Kerber (GER x6) bt Alla Kudryavtseva (RUS) 6-2, 6-4
Belinda Bencic (SUI) bt Kurumi Nara (JPN x31) 6-4, 4-6, 6-1
Johanna Larsson (SWE) bt Sloane Stephens (USA x21) 5-7, 6-4, 6-2
Jelena Jankovic (SRB x9) bt Tsvetana Pironkova (BUL) 7-5, 6-4
Lucie Safarova (CZE x14) bt Zheng Saisai (CHN) 6-3, 4-6, 6-2
Alize Cornet (FRA x22) bt Daniela Hantuchova (SVK) 6-3, 6-3
Roberta Vinci (ITA x28) bt Irina-Camelia Begu (ROM) 2-6, 6-4, 6-1
Peng Shuai (CHN) bt Agnieszka Radwanska (POL x4) 6-3, 6-4
Maria Sharapova (RUS x5) bt Alexandra Dulgheru (ROM) 4-6, 6-3, 6-2
Sabine Lisicki (GER x26) bt Madison Brengle (USA) 6-4, 6-1
Andrea Petkovic (GER x18) bt Monica Puig (PUR) 3-6, 6-3, 7-6 (7/5)
Caroline Wozniacki (DEN x10) bt Aliaksandra Sasnovich (BLR) 6-3, 6-4
Sara Errani (ITA x13) bt Anastasia Rodionova (AUS) 6-4, 7-6 (7/2)
Venus Williams (USA x19) bt Timea Bacsinszky (SUI) 6-1, 6-4
Mirjana Lucic-Baroni (CRO) bt Shahar Peer (ISR) 6-7 (6/8), 6-3, 6-2
Simona Halep (ROM x2) bt Jana Cepelova (SVK) 6-2, 6-1