Naomi Osaka and Iga Swiatek rolled into the quarterfinals at the U.S. Open by each winning in straight sets. Osaka dominated Coco Gauff 6-3, 6-2 in their highly anticipated showdown. She is back in the quarterfinals at a Grand Slam for the first time since 2021. Swiatek rallied from down 3-1 in the first set to defeat Ekaterina Alexandrova. On the men’s side, Felix Auger-Aliassime advanced by beating Andrey Rublev 7-5, 6-3, 6-4 in a match that took just over two hours.
NEW YORK (AP) — Naomi Osaka and Iga Swiatek rolled into the quarterfinals at the U.S. Open, showing off what once made each of them the top-ranked women's tennis player in the world.
Osaka dominated Coco Gauff 6-3, 6-2 in their highly anticipated showdown Monday in Arthur Ashe Stadium. Swiatek rallied from down 3-1 in the first set to beat Ekaterina Alexandrova 6-3, 6-1.
“At the beginning, I felt like she was playing really fast,” said Swiatek, who is seeking her second U.S. Open title and seventh in a Grand Slam. “I wanted to find my rhythm, but later on I really felt like I was in my bubble and in my zone.”
Osaka, in the quarterfinals at a major for the first time since 2021, is set to face No. 11 Karolina Muchova of the Czech Republic for a spot in the semifinals. Up next for Swiatek is American Amanda Anisimova in a rematch of her 6-0, 6-0 victory in the Wimbledon final.
The No.8-seeded Anisimova reached her first U.S. Open quarterfinal by beating No. 16 Beatriz Haddad Maia 6-0, 6-3.
On the men’s side, 25th-seeded Canadian Felix Auger-Aliassime advanced by defeating Andrey Rublev 7-5, 6-3, 6-4 in a match in Arthur Ashe Stadium that took just over two hours.
Auger-Aliassime won for just the second time in nine career matches against Rublev, the No. 15 seed who slammed his racket after losing a point in the second set.
"As I won the first set, I felt like I was in control of the match," said Auger-Aliassime, who at age 25 is in the quarterfinals of a Grand Slam tournament for the fourth time. ”Good win considering our head-to-head, considering how good he is as a player."
Alex de Minaur of Australia and Lorenzo Musetti of Italy advanced to the quarters by winning in straight sets. De Minaur is set to play Auger-Aliassime next. Top-seeded Jannik Sinner routed Alexander Bublik, the only player other than Carlos Alcaraz to beat him this season, 6-1, 6-1, 6-1. The defending champion will face Musetti, the No. 10 seed, on Wednesday. Venus Williams and Leylah Fernandez advanced to the quarterfinals of women's doubles by beating the 12th-seeded duo of Ekaterina Alexandrova and Zhang Shuai. Afterward, Venus said it was time for her sister, Serena, to show up.
Second-ranked Carlos Alcaraz faces Jiri Lehecka in one men's quarterfinal. It's American Taylor Fritz against four-time U.S. Open champion Novak Djokovic in the other, with the winners meeting in the semifinals Friday. In the women's quarterfinals, Jessica Pegula plays Barbora Krejcikova, and top-seeded Aryna Sabalenka goes up against Marketa Vondrousova. Williams and Fernandez play against the top-seeded team of Taylor Townsend and Katerina Siniakova.
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AP tennis: https://apnews.com/hub/tennis