As play moved into the third round of the women’s draw at the US Open, some compelling matches between seeded players were scattered in the schedule. On a day where a number of seeds were bounced out of the tournament, here is a look at the action on Day 5.

Halep Exits

Second seed Simona Halep had things going her way in the first set, but a powerful Mirjana Lucic-Baroni dramatically came back to eliminate her 7-6 6-2.

Halep appeared to be rolling with all the momentum, jumping out to a 5-2 lead in the first set. However, despite trailing, Lucic-Baroni dictated play and kept moving Halep around the court. Regardless of 31 unforced errors in the set, the Croat made her comeback by virtue of her 22 winners.

In the second set, Lucic-Baroni continued to dictate the pace behind her big serve and powerful groundstrokes. The 32-year-old placed 85 percent of her first serves in play, winning 82 percent of those points. And despite her aggressive ball-striking, she only yielded 5 unforced errors in the set. Halep was never able to regain control of the match.

It is Halep's earliest exit from a Grand Slam this season, having reached the finals at Roland Garros, semifinals of Wimbledon, and quarterfinals of the Australian Open.

Lucic-Baroni is in the midst of a tremendous comeback and success story, advancing to the fourth round of a Grand Slam for the first time since 1999 when she was a 17-year-old phenom. Now at 32, the veteran who needed to come through qualifying to enter the draw, can appreciate the journey, “It's incredible, amazing, I feel goofy,” she said. “After so many years, it's incredible. I live for this, I am 32. Every painful moment has been worth it.”

Halep gave credit to her opponent. “She was better than me today, so I have to just keep working every day hard and to look forward for the next one.”

Errani Outlasts Venus

Two seeded players squared off in what turned out to be an exciting match in Arthur Ashe Stadium Friday afternoon. After a sensational third set, it was 13th seed Sara Errani eliminating 19th seed Venus Williams, 6-0 0-6 7-6.

Errani jumped out quickly on the heels of her steady play, taking advantage of an uncomfortable-looking Williams. Seemingly before fans could find their seats in America's premier tennis venue, she took the first set at 6-0 in just 29 minutes. Williams was only successful in placing 30 percent of her first serves in play in the set, and the American looked out of sorts with just four winners to 18 unforced errors.

Looking to quickly erase the memory of the first set and wipe the slate clean, Venus quickly became the aggressor. The American flipped the script, racing out of the gate in the second set. Benefiting from cleaner play and stronger service games, Williams evened the match by serving up her own bagel to Errani.

As the two battled in the third set, it appeared that the Italian had gained an advantage with an early break, forcing Williams to play from behind. However, as play progressed, neither Williams nor Errani was successful in holding service with each yielding three breaks of service in the set. Nonetheless, Williams would find the match on her racket at 5-3 but once again failed to hold. Ultimately, both players elevated their play during the set, creating compelling tennis to the fans’ delight. And in what might have been expected, play advanced to a third-set tiebreak.

In the tiebreak, Errani jumped out to an early 2-0 lead before an off-speed shot by Williams forced an errant strike that sailed the ball long. However, as play continued, Errani excelled with finesse shots while Williams failed to execute on some key power groundstrokes. Regardless, in what has been a theme to the American's season, Venus exhibited a determined effort, fighting her way back to even the tiebreak at 5-5. However, what ensued were two sensational points by two fighters in which Errani found the ability to win, taking the match.

Venus reflected on the match afterwards. “I went for too much. She just played one of the best matches of her life,” Williams stated.

Kerber Falls

Sixth-seeded Angelique Kerber of Germany found her hands full against 17-year-old Belinda Bencic, who appeared unaffected by her opponent’s ranking. Bencic played a poised match en route to a 6-1 7-5 victory. In the first set, Bencic was strong on her service games, not allowing a break in the set. Additionally, she broke Kerber twice while playing a clean set with just four unforced errors.

In the second set, Kerber looked to steer the match in her direction by jumping out to an early break advantage. However, Bencic played with a composure beyond her years, making inroads into Kerber's serve three times in the set despite dropping hers twice. Bencic advanced to the fourth round where she will face another veteran in Jelena Jankovic in a portion of the draw that has opened up.

Bencic was excited to advance. “I played a really good match right from the start, and then I had a little bit timeout in the second. But I’m happy that I came back. It’s amazing that after last year I played juniors here, and this year I’m in the fourth round. So it’s incredible.”

Wozniacki Impresses

10th seed Caroline Wozniacki was impressive in her 6-3 6-2 victory against 18th seed Andrea Petkovic.

The Dane was all business, playing a clean match in which she yielded just 11 unforced errors while exploiting 34 from her opponent. Wozniacki attacked the German's struggling serve as Petkovic won just 48 percent of her first-serve points.

Peng Advances past Vinci

After eliminating fourth seed Agnieszka Radwanska on Wednesday, Shuai Peng dispatched 28th seed Roberta Vinci 6-4 6-3 to advance to the fourth round.

Peng applied her buttoned-up, efficient yet aggressive style to construct points against Vinci, keeping the Italian off balance. And after both players remained on serve, Peng broke to go to 5-4 and then promptly served out the set.

It was more of the same in the second set for Peng, who did a tremendous job protecting her serve. The 28-year-old from China held serve throughout while finding the one break opportunity that she needed in each set. She capitalized and served out the match to advance. Peng, who is most notable for her doubles success, will look to surpass her deepest Grand Slam singles run with one more win in New York.

Other Seeds in Action

In the late match in Ashe Stadium, fifth seed Maria Sharapova defeated 26th seed Sabine Lisicki 6-2 6-4. After giving little resistance in the first set, Lisicki exhibited fight in the second set, spurred by a handful of hard-earned winners where she was forced to run down balls. However, Sharapova stepped up in key situations to regain control of the set and the match to advance to the fourth round.

Ninth seeded Jelena Jankovic rolled past Johanna Larsson to advance to the round of 16. Larsson, who eliminated Sloane Stephens on Wednesday, was no match for the Serb who yielded just one game in her victory.

Elsewhere, in a very even match, 14th seed Lucie Safarova outlasted 22nd seed Alize Cornet, 6-3 6-7 6-4 to advance to the fourth round. Safarova took advantage of break opportunities, seizing seven breaks in 14 chances. Cornet was not so successful, capitalizing on just four out of her 15 break opportunities.