Tennis: US Open day 8 - headlines and sidelines

- Headlines - + Serena claims record 308th Slam win

+ Pliskova knocks out Venus

+ 2012 champion Murray crushes Dimitrov

+ Del Potro lowest-ranked quarter-finalist in 25 years

+ Wawrinka in fourth successive last-eight

- Who's saying what -"It's a huge number. I think it's very significant actually. I think it's something that just really talks about the length of my career, in particular. I've been playing for a really long time, but also, you know, given that consistency up there. That's something that I'm really proud of."

- Serena Williams on passing Roger Federer's mark of Grand Slam match wins

Reporter to Venus Williams: "Just talk about the joy quotient versus the win quotient."

Venus: "The what?"

"She's ambitious. She gives everything to win all the matches. Her focus. She is focused and she doesn't give up. Three things. And I'm not telling anymore."

- Simona Halep not prepared to discuss too many of her tactics on the challenges of playing Serena Williams.

"Seems like doubles players today would be getting callouses from shaking hands after every point, whether won or lost."

- Coaching guru Nick Bollettieri not a fan of between-the-points huddles which are a common feature of every doubles match.

- Sidelines -Djokovic top marks in French tests

- Novak Djokovic is the only non-French player left in his half of the draw but will be buoyed by his record against French opponents when he faces Jo-Wilfried Tsonga on Tuesday for a place in the quarter-finals. He is on a 15-match win streak versus Frenchmen and is 52-1 since the 2010 DavisCup final.

Wu said that!

- Fans would have been forgiven for getting scores mixed up out on outside courts where boys singles matches were taking place. On Court 7, Wu Tung-lin of Taiwan was playing while next door on Court 8 Wu Yibing of China was in action at the same time.

- Numbers up -17 - number of previous Grand Slams that Karolina Pliskova had played without getting out of the third round before this week. Now she's in the quarter-finals after defeating Venus Willams in the last-16

141 - in miles per hour, the fastest serve by Andy Murray against Grigor Dimitrov which he reckons was his fastest ever

afp

© 1994-2016 Agence France-Presse