A loose and confident Victoria Azarenka overpowered Elise Mertens 6-1 6-0 to advance to the semi-finals of the US Open, where she'll face a familiar foe in Serena Williams.
Azarenka, who smiled and bobbed her head along to music being played during changeovers on Arthur Ashe Stadium court, fired 21 winners to dominate the 16th seeded Belgian in their first career meeting in a singles match.
Azarenka took the first set after the normally rock solid Belgian sent a forehand wide for her 13th unforced error of the set.
The 31-year-old Azarenka didn't let her foot off the gas in the second, running Mertens around the court and sealing the win when Mertens dumped a backhand into the net on match point.
With the win the two time Grand Slam champion Azarenka has advanced past the quarter-finals at a Grand Slam for the first time since 2013.
The win sets up a semi-final showdown with Williams, who defeated the Belarusian in the 2012 and 13 Open final.
Williams, a 23-time Grand Slam winner, holds an 18-4 lead in their head-to-head matchups.
Earlier, Williams kept alive her hopes of a record-equaling 24th Grand Slam singles title with a 4-6 6-3 6-2 win over Tsvetana Pironkova.
Williams, a six-times champion in New York, struggled with Pironkova's slice forehand early and was at risk of her earliest US Open exit in 14 years until she used her experience to find a way back.
For Pironkova, who dropped to 0-5 in career head-to-head meetings with Williams, the loss marked the end of a surprise New York run given this was her first professional tournament since Wimbledon in 2017.
