NEW YORK — Serena Williams beat the highest-ranked player left in the U.S. Open draw in Tuesday’s quarterfinals, moving two wins from tying the record with a 24th Grand Slam singles title.
And her first as a mom.
Williams ousted former No. 1 Karolina Pliskova of the Czech Republic 6-4, 6-3 at Arthur Ashe Stadium. She gets Latvian Anastasija Sevastova, ranked 18th, in the semifinals.
There are no top-10 players left in the draw and only one, Japanese Naomi Osaka, has ever beaten Williams.
She is a combined 10-1 against the six remaining players, with no prior matches against Sevastova, who upset defending champion Sloane Stephens earlier Tuesday.