Angelique Kerber won a battle of grand slam champions when the second seed powered her way into the quarter-finals of the US Open with a 6-3 7-5 win over Petra Kvitova.

By reaching the last eight Kerber has put herself in position to end Serena Williams’s long reign as world number one.

Williams will now need to reach the final to have a chance of retaining top spot.

“When I was a kid, of course I was dreaming of winning slams and being one day number one,” admitted Kerber.

“Now it can happen.”

The fourth-round match had a grand slam pedigree to it with Kerber, the Australian Open champion, going against twice Wimbledon winner Kvitova, but it failed to deliver any major excitement.

Kerber was in command from the start, winning all the big points on the way to taking the opening set.

Kvitova offered more resistance in the second before surrendering with a double fault on match point to gift Kerber a place in the quarter-finals.

Kerber’s victory set up a last-eight clash with Roberta Vinci, last year’s surprise runner-up.

Yesterday’s result: Halep bt Suarez Navarro 6-2, 7-5.

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