There were some tense moments in the end, but Serena Williams battled past Margarita Gasparyan in straight sets 6-2, 6-4.
For most of her second-round match, Serena was at her best—she hit 27 winners to just 16 unforced errors in the match—but things got dicey towards the end as she watched a 4-2 lead evaporate to 4-4, even facing a break point that would have given Gasparyan a chance to serve for the set.
Read more: Serena ease pass Kristie Ahn in US Open first round
“I feel like every day I’m on a new journey, and in this tournament in particular and this year,” she said in her post-match press conference. “So I feel really good. I feel like I’m on that journey and I’m going in the right direction.”
Up next for Serena is a third round match up with Sloane Stephens.