U.S. Open: Eugenie Bouchard through to 3rd round

Eugenie Bouchard is through to the third round of the U.S. Open after defeating Polona Hercog of Slovenia 6-3, 6-7 (2), 6-3 on Wednesday. 

Bouchard, from Westmount, Que., had 14 break-point chances against Hercog, converting seven of them, however she saved just four of the nine break points she faced.

The 21-year-old will face Slovakia's Dominika Cibulkova in the third round.

Bouchard, who has struggled through much of the year after a fantastic 2014 season, has appeared strong in her first two matches in New York as she looks to end 2015 on a high note.

"I know. It's like a huge deal," the 25th-seeded Canadian said when a reporter mentioned how long she'd gone without consecutive victories.

Before arriving at Flushing Meadows, Bouchard had lost 14 of her previous 17 matches.

She spent time last week working in New York with Jimmy Connors ahead of the U.S. Open.

"I kept the confidence up and the belief. Tried to keep myself going energy-wise. Those are all things that I think helped today," Bouchard said.

"Those are all things that I didn't do so well in past matches where I've lost. As long as I'm taking a step in the right direction, I'm happy with that and I can't ask for more."

Serena overcomes shaky start

Serena Williams' bid for a true Grand Slam is safe, despite an uneven performance in the U.S. Open's second round.

Overcoming 10 double-faults and two dozen other unforced errors, Williams emerged with a 7-6 (5), 6-3 victory over 110th-ranked qualifier Kiki Bertens of the Netherlands at Arthur Ashe Stadium on Wednesday.

Williams got broken to fall behind 2-1 early, and Bertens served for the opening set at 5-4 before getting broken for the first time.

Then in the tiebreaker, Williams trailed 4-0, before turning things around, helped by shaky play from Bertens, who only once has made it to the third round at a major tournament in 14 appearances.

"Today, I was a little tight," Williams said in her on-court interview. "I think it showed."

Williams has won the past four major titles, a streak that began at last year's U.S. Open, and is trying to complete the first calendar-year Grand Slam since Steffi Graf in 1988.