WORLD number one Iga Swiatek survived a challenging second-round encounter at the US Open on Thursday while top men’s seed Jannik Sinner and four-time major champion Naomi Osaka progressed comfortably.
Second seed Swiatek, fresh from winning her sixth Grand Slam title at Wimbledon and the Cincinnati warm-up tournament, fought hard to overcome unseeded Dutch player Suzan Lamens 6-1 4-6 6-4 on Arthur Ashe Stadium.
“It got a bit complicated in the second set, but I’m happy that I could reset and start playing better in the third set,“ said the 2022 tournament winner who closed out the match with an ace to set up a meeting with 29th seed Anna Kalinskaya.
Defending champion Sinner delivered a dominant performance by crushing Australian Alexei Popyrin 6-3 6-2 6-2 to secure a third-round clash with Canadian 27th seed Denis Shapovalov.
Osaka, seeded 23rd, defeated American Hailey Baptiste 6-3 6-1 in the opening match at Louis Armstrong Stadium, marking her first third-round appearance at the tournament she has won twice since 2021.
“I was just really trying to focus and not give her any free points and just be positive,“ Osaka said. “I’m really excited to be moving better.”
Italy’s tenth-ranked Lorenzo Musetti saved nine of eleven break points to beat unseeded Belgian David Goffin 6-4 6-0 6-2 in another one-sided match on Armstrong.
Two early finishes allowed organisers to move Venus Williams’ highly-anticipated doubles match to the second-largest stadium where fans packed the venue.
Seven-time major winner Williams, who lost in both mixed doubles and women’s singles first rounds, found inspiration from Canadian partner Leylah Fernandez as they defeated sixth seeds Lyudmyla Kichenok and Ellen Perez 7-6(4) 6-3.
“This is the best partner I’ve ever played with outside Serena,“ said Williams, who this summer became the oldest player to win a WTA singles match since 2004. “We’re a great team.”
Third seed Coco Gauff will headline the night session at Arthur Ashe Stadium against Croatian Donna Vekic, who eliminated her from last year’s Paris Olympics en route to the silver medal.
The American defending champion will hope for an easier match after needing nearly three hours to overcome Ajla Tomljanovic in the opening round.
Men’s 14th seed Tommy Paul faces Portugal’s Nuno Borges in the final match on Ashe while German third seed Alexander Zverev continues his quest for a maiden major title against Briton Jacob Fearnley at Louis Armstrong Stadium. – Reuters
