NEW YORK -- Top-ranked Serena Williams knew she hadnt dropped a set going into her quarterfinal showdown against Simona Halep. But that didnt stop Williams from channeling a little Goran Ivanisevic of old after her previous two US Open matches -- both romps. Williams wryly spoke about herself in the third person, claiming she was waiting for the real Serena to show up and how she dearly hoped it would be soon.On Wednesday night, Williams finally got her wish in what might have been the most scintillating womens tennis match of the year.After a torrid start in which it seemed she might run Halep right off the court, Williams needed every bit of her legendary game -- her service bombs, her defensive prowess and net play, the power ground strokes and delicate drop shots she parachuted down here and there -- to survive everything Halep started to throw at her during the 2 hours, 14 minutes they raged at each other on a muggy night at Arthur Ashe Stadium.Until this match, no previous opponent had managed to keep Williams on-court more than 68 minutes. In the end, Williams knew she had only herself to blame for the length of this match. She went 0-for-12 on break points in the second set and double-faulted to hand Halep a decisive break of her own.But it wasnt just that. The fifth-seeded Halep spectacularly took advantage of the openings Williams gave her. This was before Williams rose up just as spectacularly herself in the third set and eventually pulled away to a 6-2, 4-6, 6-3 win.I didnt play the same match in the second [set] that I did in the first, Williams said. Thats what makes me really calm. I feel like I can play so much better. I think everyone here knows I can play better.I was rather positive today -- and thats definitely not normal, but Im just going to go with it, Williams joked with a comical roll of her eyes.Though she wasnt asked about it once, the 34-year-old Williams is playing for a lot at this tournament. She has a chance to tie Chris Evert for the most US Open title wins ever, at seven. She has a chance to break a tie with Steffi Graf and get her 23rd career major win, a record for the Open era.Williams already moved by Roger Federer a match ago for the most-ever Grand Slam tournament wins (shes now at 309 ? and counting) but her hold on the No. 1 ranking for 186 consecutive weeks-- another record she shares with Graf -- is in jeopardy if she doesnt win this tournament and Angelique Kerber, whom she lost to at the Australian Open but beat in the Wimbledon final, does.Thats a lot of history in play. But its almost peculiar how little such milestones are even talked about much anymore. Williams already owns so many, its getting hard to keep track of them all. The bandwidth of her career has been so extraordinary for so long, its starting to feel like one of those stories in which the script gets flipped.The sum of all she has done is starting to feel greater than the parts.Halep seemed to surrender to the same idea when asked to describe how this match got away from her.She is the best player, Halep said, as if the statement hardly needed any elaboration.Halep is now 1-8 for her career against Williams but said she could at least walk away from this match knowing, This was the best I ever had against her.But Halep also knows her 105-mph serves pale next to the 120-plus bombs that Williams was smashing at her. And if she was ever going to win this match, it was going to have to happen the way it almost did: Shed have to be ready to chase down every ball Williams smashed back at her; shed have to absorb the power Williams packs into her groundstrokes and snap off some winners herself; and shed have to minimize her own mistakes and try to match Williams will and hope Williams gave her a glimmer of daylight here and there.And it nearly happened.But in the end, another difference was Halep couldnt overcome failing to convert two service break points in the first game of the third set, but Williams finally broke her a few games after that.Even an hour after the match, it was that missed opportunity that still stood out to the fifth-seeded Romanian. Said Halep: If there I could take that game, I think the story of the match wouldve been different.But she didnt. And it wasnt.Williams will now move on to play 10-seed Karolina Plishkova, the WTA Tour leader in aces, Thursday night in a semifinal that is already being hyped as having the potential to deliver the most aces ever struck in a single womens match. It will be interesting to see how Williams sore right shoulder, which has bothered her for weeks, will respond to back-to-back matches.The second-seeded Kerber and resurgent Caroline Wozniacki meet in the nights other semifinal.Williams was low-key Wednesday through much of her postmatch media conference -- even when reminded it was Plishkova who rallied to beat her sister Venus earlier in this tournament, depriving she and Serena of a chance to perhaps meet in a Slam semi for the first time in years. But Serena did seem a bit intrigued when a reporter went on to mention that Plishkova also has a sister who plays on tour -- but the Plishkovas are twins.Have you ever thought about another identical copy of you floating around, how tough that might be? Serena was asked.And the real Serena was indeed back.It would be a living hell, Williams cracked. Custom Nike Los Angeles Dodgers Jerseys . Scott won the Australian PGA last week in his first event in Australia since winning the U.S. Masters in April. American Matt Kuchar, ahead by two strokes with four to play and even with Scott with one to go, double-bogeyed the 18th after taking two shots to get out of a bunker. Custom Nike Cincinnati Reds Jerseys . Kyle Denbrook, a soccer player from Saint Marys University, took the CIS male athlete of the week honour. Stanley, a fourth-year business administration student from Charlottetown, scored both goals in a 2-0 win over Dalhousie on Friday and tallied again in a 1-0 win over Saint Marys on Sunday. https://www.customjerseysnikebaseball.com/custom-nike-cleveland-indians-jerseys/ . To the surprise of many, it isnt the Wolverines but their in-state rivals the Michigan State Spartans. Custom Nike Minnesota Twins Jerseys . Siddikur, whose previous win on the circuit came in Brunei three years ago, finished his bogey-free round with a birdie on the 18th for a total of 17-under 199. Indias Shiv Chowrasia, who has finished runner-up in this tournament twice, was in second place after a 66. Custom Nike Baseball Jerseys Online . The 17-year-old native of Marystown, N.L., pulled out of Skate Canada International last month in Saint John, N.B., with the same problem. FLORHAM PARK, N.J. -- The banged-up New York Jets shook up their roster a bit.Left tackle Ryan Clady was placed on injured reserve Wednesday with a shoulder injury, and wide receiver Devin Smith was activated from the physically unable to perform list.The team also signed defensive lineman Anthony Johnson from New Englands practice squad to the active roster and waived defensive lineman Jarvis Jenkins. Offensive tackle Zach Sterup was also signed to the practice squad.Clady was acquired in the offseason from Denver to replace the retired DBrickashaw Ferguson, who never missed a snap in a game or practice due to injury in 10 seasons. Clady, a four-time Pro Bowl selection, was coming off a torn knee ligament that sidelined him all of last year, but he was ready to start the season for the Jets.Clady has been dealing with an ailing rotator cuff, however, since injuring it at Kansas City in Week 3. He was active at Miami last Sunday, but only played on special teams. Ben Ijalana will replace him, as he did against the Dolphins.It got so bad to where it wasnt getting any better with treatment and he was pretty much playing out there with one arm, coach Todd Bowles said. It wasnt getting any better, he became weaker as a matter of fact, so we just had to put him (on IR).Clady signed a one-year, $6 million contract with the Jets, including a $10 million club option for next season which most likely will not be picked up.Smith tore a ligament in his right knee during a game last December and has been working his way back since. Per NFL rules regarding players on PUP, the Jets had until Wednesday to decide whether to activate Smith, place him on season-ending injured reserve or release him.Well see how he fits in the game plan, Bowles said. We have a bunch of receivers now, so its going to be hard fighting for playing time right there, but well sort it out during the week.The second-year receiver told The Associated Press last Friday he was being patient while he awaitedd the teams decision.ddddddddddddThis is kind of how I put it: Whatever decision that they make, theres a reason for it, Smith said. Im just going to be ready for whatever the situation is. But if they do decide to bring me back and have me play, Ill be ready.Smith, a second-round pick last year out of Ohio State, had just nine catches for 115 yards and a touchdown before the knee injury last season.Johnson played in four games this season with the Patriots, and has 10 tackles and a fumble recovery in 11 career games.He was signed by Miami as an undrafted free agent out of LSU in 2014, and played seven games with the Dolphins. After being among Miamis final cuts the following summer, Johnson was signed to Washingtons practice squad last November.Johnson signed with the Patriots and made their roster out of training camp before being released, signed to the practice squad, promoted to the active roster and then waived and re-signed to the practice squad.Hell replace Jenkins on the Jets roster. Jenkins, signed to a two-year, $6 million deal in the offseason, had nine tackles in nine games for New York as a backup. He previously played with Washington and Chicago after being a second-round pick of the Redskins out of Clemson in 2011.Anthony was a guy we were looking at for a little while, Bowles said. And we tried to upgrade with that and it came at a good time when he was available, so we signed him.Sterup replaces wide receiver Myles White, released from the practice squad Tuesday. The 6-foot-9, 318-pound tackle was signed by Kansas City as an undrafted free agent out of Nebraska this year. He was suspended four games earlier this season for violating the NFLs policy on performance enhancers. Sterup was released from the Chiefs practice squad on Tuesday.---For more NFL coverage: http://www.pro32.ap.org and http://www.twitter.com/AP-NFL ' ' '