NEW YORK: Paula Badosa reached the US Open quarter-finals for the first time on Sunday by conquering Wang Yafan as well as New York’s suffocating humidity.

The 26th-seeded Spaniard came through 6-1, 6-2 for her best Grand Slam result since she considered quitting the due to a serious back injury.

Despite the one-sided scoreline, the first two games on Sunday took 17 minutes to complete while Badosa saved all eight break points she faced.

“It was so humid I thought I was going to die,” said the 26-year-old New York-born player of the humidity which hit 85% at noon. “I knew she was tough but I’m tougher.”

Badosa is the first Spanish woman to make the quarter-finals since Carla Suarez Navarro in 2018 while it has been 28 years since a Spaniard last reached semi-finals. That honour fell to Conchita Martinez in 1996.

On Saturday, Jannik Sinner avoided the fate of his top riv­als, reaching the fourth rou­nd of the US Open while fellow top seed Iga Swiatek also advanced with a comfortable victory.

With defending champion Novak Djokovic forced out by a shock loss to Alexei Popyrin in the third round on Friday and another title contender, Carlos Alcaraz, sent crashing by Botic van de Zandschulp in round two a day earlier, all eyes were on Sinner.

The Italian thumped Chris­topher O’Connell 6-1, 6-4, 6-2 to underline his credentials as the outright favourite at the year’s final major.

Up next for the Australian Open champion is Tommy Paul who overcame Canadian Gabriel Diallo 6-7(5), 6-3, 6-1, 7-6(3). Paul’s compatriot Ashlyn Krueger fell 6-1, 6-1 to Liudmila Samsonova.

French Open champion Swiatek later swatted aside Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova 6-4, 6-2 with a near-flawless performance after a chat with 23-times major winner Serena Williams, who retur­ned to the US Open as a fan, after retiring in 2022.

Australian 10th seed Alex de Minaur outlast Briton Dan Evans 6-3, 6-7(4-7), 6-0, 6-0 while Jack Draper beat Van de Zandschulp 6-3, 6-4, 6-2.

Caroline Wozniacki eased past Jessika Ponchet 6-3, 6-2 and Daniil Medvedev breezed past Flavio Cobolli 6-3, 6-4, 6-3.

Published in Dawn, September 2nd, 2024