Carlos Alcaraz reacts after defeating China’s Wu Yibing to succeed in the final 16 on the US Open. Picture: AFP
NEW YORK:
Defending singles champions Carlos Alcaraz and Aryna Sabalenka sailed into the final 16 of the US Open on Friday as tennis icons Serena and Venus Williams suffered an agonising defeat on their long-awaited return to Grand Slam doubles.
Alcaraz, coming off a four-month harm absence, beat China’s Wu Yibing 6-3, 6-4, 6-1 to guide his place within the fourth spherical whereas Sabalenka was equally dominant in a 6-3, 6-4 defeat of Kamilla Rakhimova.
Alcaraz will face Twentieth-seeded American Tommy Paul for a spot within the quarter-finals after Paul beat Fifteenth-seeded Alexander Bublik 6-4, 3-6, 6-7 (4/7), 6-1, 6-3.
“The best way he performs is unbelievable, the rhythm he has on each shot — forehand, backhand,” Alcaraz stated of Wu. “His balls skid rather a lot on the court docket and, for me, it is actually troublesome to regulate generally.
“However I feel I stayed there. I performed aggressive. I performed sensible within the hardest moments.”
Wu recovered an early break in every of the primary two units, however Alcaraz pocketed each with breaks within the last video games and after saving a pair of break factors within the first sport of the third the Spaniard rolled dwelling.
“I feel my degree is basically good,” he stated. “I’ve obtained into the rhythm of the competitors. I am getting there.”
World primary Sabalenka did not face a break level in her dismissal of Rakhimova, firing 29 winners with 10 aces.
The numbers did not inform the entire story of a match that noticed 92nd-ranked Rakhimova problem Sabalenka in a second-set slugfest.
Sabalenka was additionally unimpressed by the pervasive odor of marijuana — an more and more widespread problem on the US Open — wafting down from the stands throughout her match.
“It’s kind of tough to deal with that odor whilst you’re making an attempt to compete at your greatest,” stated Sabalenka, who at one level complained to the umpire in regards to the problem.
Sabalenka, who should repeat as champion to have an opportunity of remaining primary, subsequent faces Taylor Townsend, the 96th-ranked American who beat Fifteenth-seeded Russian Diana Shnaider 6-2, 6-7 (3/7), 6-3.
Williams sisters lose thriller
With Alcaraz and Sabalenka among the many early starters, all eyes on the night session have been on the Williams sisters, partnering in a Grand Slam doubles occasion for the primary time since 2022.
The duo returned to the US Open stage comes after 23-time Grand Slam singles champion Serena got here out of a four-year retirement to play at Wimbledon.
However essentially the most well-known sister act in tennis — who gained 14 Grand Slam doubles titles collectively together with three Olympic gold medals — have been crushed 6-3, 6-7 (6/8), 7-6 (10/7) by 14th seeds Chan Hao-ching of Taiwan and Australia’s Maya Joint in a marathon three-hour battle.
The Williams’ duo had confirmed flashes of their good greatest after recovering from shedding the primary set to degree the match after taking the second set on a tie-break.
Momentum and a raucous New York crowd gave the impression to be carrying them in the direction of victory after they sprinted right into a 5-0 lead within the third set tie-break. However Chan and Joint fought again beautifully to erase the deficit earlier than clinching victory.
Pegula by means of, Muchova upset
In different singles motion on Friday, third-seeded American Jessica Pegula, one of many gamers with an opportunity to knock Sabalenka off her No. 1 perch, mounted a determined fightback to beat Canadian Leylah Fernandez 1-6, 6-4, 6-3 in a battle of former finalists.
Elsewhere, Ukraine’s Marta Kostyuk beat Russian Ekaterina Alexandrova 6-3, 6-2 and American Emma Navarro upset seventh-seeded Czech Karolina Muchova 6-3, 7-5.
Again within the males’s draw, American eleventh seed Frances Tiafoe was a snug 6-4, 6-2, 6-4 victor over Monaco’s Valentin Vacherot, seeded 22.
Tiafoe’s win earned him a final 16 showdown with Russian seventh seed Daniil Medvedev.
Medvedev was a equally unfussy winner over French twenty sixth seed Arthur Rinderknech, easing to a 6-4, 6-4, 6-4 win in just below two hours.
Unseeded former world quantity three Stefanos Tsitsipas — whose rating has plummeted to 53 — in the meantime toppled 18th seed Jiri Lehecka, 2-6, 6-1, 7-6 (7/3), 6-1 to succeed in the US Open fourth spherical for the primary time.
Tsitsipas will face American eighth seed Ben Shelton within the final 16. Shelton defeated Canada’s Denis Shapovalov 7-6 (7/3), 6-7 (5/7), 6-3, 6-4 within the late match.