For the third time this year, Sara made the 4th round at a Grand Slam. In the 3rd round of the US Open, she beat Olga Puchkova comfortably: 6-1, 6-1.

“It was not as easy as the result suggests,” said Sara, “Puchkova played well, in contrast to Dushevina, who made a lot of errors. Especially in the first game she was good, but then when she realised she didn’t make enough points, she started to try to do too much from impossible positions. I realised from the first point that I shouldn’t give her pace, as my coach had also said.”

In the next round, Sara will face Angelique Kerber, who had her breakthrough here at the US Open last year, when she made the semifinal.

Sara also said that the first days in New York, she wasn’t feeling great, but during the match yesterday, she felt better.

“So far it has been a beautiful season, but long, but when you are this far in a Grand Slam, the motivation beats everything.”