As play advanced into the third round, a number of competitive matches were on tap. With some cloud cover appearing and a reprise from the heat, it was a welcome weather update for those in action on Friday.

Serena comes back again

Serena Williams’ run to history was nearly derailed, but she would rally once more to defeat Bethanie Mattek-Sands, 3-6, 7-5, 6-0.

It was a script that was all too familiar for Williams. Unsettled and frustrated, she dropped the first set once again. Mattek-Sands played steadily and with confidence, while Serena searched for her rhythm.

Early in the second set, Mattek-Sands appeared unfazed as Williams picked up her intensity.  Fighting off attacks by Serena, she held her own until the eighth game, where she could not hold back the assault. But in a gritty game following, Mattek-Sands would fight back, and she evened the set once more. But Serena was relentless and came up with one more service break and took the second set.

That result appeared to take the wind out of Mattek-Sands’ sails, and like so many times before, Williams would find another gear and completely dominate the decisive set to advance.

Williams gave credit to her opponent after the match. “I'm not trying to live on the edge,” she said. “I don't think I came out too slow, I just think Bethanie played really well.” She emphasized that she is taking it one match at a time. “I only have one match, the only one I'm looking forward to is the next one, that's all I can do.”

Djokovic Shakes Seppi for a spot in the Fourth Round

Andreas Seppi has been a giant-killer in the past, most notably eliminating Roger Federer at the Australian Open early in the year. He played a solid match against Novak Djokovic in the afternoon session but fell to the Serb, 6-3, 7-5, 7-5.

Seppi came out confidently, easily breaking Djokovic early in the first set. But with a few games under his belt, the top seed found his stride and promptly evened the set.  And as he has done so often, Djokovic would methodically grind his opponent down late in the set and take an early advantage.

In the second set, Seppi continued to compete well, but the world No. 1 found a late break and served it out. And in the third set, Djokovic picked up an early service break. But the Italian played a clean, competitive set and continued to stay engaged. With the Serb serving for the match, Seppi would break to even the match. However, it was short-lived as Djokovic broke once more and this time finished out the match despite a strong effort by Seppi.

Djokovic conceded that it was difficult early in the match. “At the beginning, in the first set, I was struggling,” he said. “I managed to break through and felt better after that. Conditions are not easy, but it’s the same for both of us. Sometimes the nerves play a little bit of a role. You tend to feel not that light on the court occasionally. I’ve faced this particular feeling and situation so many times in my life. It comes and goes. I just have to stay out there and believe that I can feel better and play better.”

Venus Solid in Victory over Bencic

Seventeen years separated the ages of the 12th and 23rd seeds who met in Arthur Ashe Stadium on Friday. And after a solid performance by Venus Williams, she moved on to the fourth round, defeating Belinda Bencic 6-3, 6-4. It was a mild upset after Bencic had defeated both Serena Williams and Simona Halep during the summer hard-court tournaments.

Both players began the match strongly in their own service games, although Venus appeared to sense a vulnerability in the 18-year-old’s second serve. Shortening the points and attacking her second offering, Williams would find the one break that she would need to capture the first set.

But in the second set, Bencic quickly moved past the first-set result. With a focus beyond her years, she would gain control of the set with an early service break. Striking clean groundstrokes, the Swiss would protect her lead until midway through the set, when Venus suddenly turned the tide. The veteran would quickly turn a 1-4 deficit to a 5-4 lead with two breaks of serve, and the youth of Bencic began to show as she displayed frustration at the changing momentum.

In previous matches, Williams had difficulty closing matches out on her serve, but not on Friday as she finished strong and won the match with an emphatic ace. One more victory each by Serena and Venus will pit the two sisters in the quarterfinals.

Bouchard Fights Through

It has been a forgettable year by Eugenie Bouchard after her breakout season in 2014, while Dominika Cibulkova has looked to find the level of play that took her to the 2014 Australian Open final. Both players are in the process of attempting to take strides that will eventually lead them back into the to 10 once again. But on this day, it was Bouchard who would advance, 7-6, 4-6, 6-3.

In a very even first set, two players who cover the court well engaged in a number of extended rallies, but neither could gain a clear advantage. With both holding their serves throughout, a tiebreak was inevitable, and more of the same continued there. The two players dueled with shots of very little margin for error, with a couple overturned by challenges. But in a set that came down to a few points, a deep ball forced a Cibulkova groundstroke into the net, and the Canadian took the tiebreak 11-9 and the set.

Playing with a confidence unseen in some time, Bouchard would grab an early break in the second set. But Cibulkova would not back down, and in a marathon fifth game that took over 11 minutes to decide, she would break to even the set. Building on the momentum gained in that game, Cibulkova propelled forward and earned another break to set up an opportunity to serve out the set. The Slovak did just that, and the extremely competitive match continued to a third set.

In that set, it was another extended game that changed the tide of the match. This time, it was in favor of Bouchard, who took a 3-1 advantage after a 12-minute exchange. The Canadian rode a wave of momentum gained in that pivotal game and served out the match to advance to the fourth round.

Bouchard confessed that she was spent afterwards. “I can't feel my body,” she said. “I don't really know what's going on, but I'm happy. I'm just really proud of myself of the way I fought.” She will face Roberta Vinci next.

Cilic wears down Kukushkin and Advances

Defending champion Marin Cilic met Mikhail Kukushkin in Armstrong Stadium. And after a competitive four sets, Cilic finally wore down his opponent in the fifth set and advanced 6-7, 7-6, 6-3, 6-7, 6-1.

The veteran of Kazakhstan is known to be a much tougher player than perhaps his ranking would indicate, and his play on Friday was no exception. In the first two sets, both players would battle with neither finding a decisive advantage. Each player had opportunities against his opponent’s serve, and each capitalized often. The two would split the first two sets, both ending in a tiebreak.

In the third set, the ninth seed looked to take control of the match, riding his strong first serve. He would fire five aces and win 92 percent of his first-service points, taking the set.

But Kukushkin fought back in the fourth set despite another big-serving set by the Croat. Despite nine aces by his opponent, the world No. 56 held his own and forced another tiebreak. This time, he came up with the big points and evened the match at two sets apiece.

However, in the fifth set it became increasingly clear that Kukushkin had little left in the tank. and Cilic rolled through to take the match. With upsets in his portion of the draw, a good opportunity has presented itself to Cilic in his path to defending his title.