No alarm for Sinner, Swiatek as top seeds ease into quarters
NEW YORK: Top seeds Jannik Sinner and Iga Swiatek continued to blaze a trail through the US Open draws on Monday, easing into the quarter-finals of a tournament marked by almost daily upsets with a minimum of fuss.
Sinner disappointed a partisan crowd with a 7-6 (7/3), 7-6 (7/5), 6-1 win over Tommy Paul in an entertaining fourth-round tie after Swiatek had beaten Liudmila Samsonova 6-4, 6-1 in a more muted atmosphere on the main Arthur Ashe Stadium showcourt.
Italian Sinner barely got a look at Paul’s serve until the third set but produced his best tennis when it mattered to subdue the effervescent American and move on to a mouth-watering last-eight meeting with 2021 champion Daniil Medvedev.
“I can be very proud today, it was a tough opponent, so I’m very happy to be in the next round,” said Sinner, who beat Medvedev in Melbourne in January to win his only Grand Slam title.
“I didn’t start very well [but] I tried to stay there mentally. And for sure, this today was one of the keys to win this match.”
Russian Medvedev had earlier brushed aside a delay caused by a fire alarm in the building where the Hawkeye line-calling system is housed to pummel Portugal’s Nuno Borges 6-0, 6-1, 6-3.
Medvedev is the only former champion left after the first week defeats of four-time winner Novak Djokovic and 2022 champion Carlos Alcaraz.
Sinner and Medvedev will be meeting for the fourth time this year.
Sinner came back from two sets to love down to defeat the mercurial Russian in the Australian Open final and came out on top in the Miami semi-finals.
Medvedev then triumphed at Wimbledon in a five-set quarter-final.
“I will try to think more about Wimbledon than the Australian Open,” said Medvedev. “With Jannik, I feel like we know our games, what we will try to bring to the table, and then it comes to always this moment’s deuce, breakpoint, maybe try to surprise him or not, what he will do, what I will do.”
Jack Draper became the first British man since Andy Murray in 2016 to reach the quarter-finals by seeing off Tomas Machac of the Czech Republic 6-3, 6-1, 6-2.
The 25th seed has yet to drop a set at the tournament and will face Australian Alex de Minaur in his first Grand Slam quarter-final on Wednesday.
De Minaur came out on top 6-0, 3-6, 6-3, 7-5 in a tight tussle with compatriot Jordan Thompson to reach the last eight at a third straight Grand Slam, the first Australian man to do so since Lleyton Hewitt two decades ago.
Like Medvedev, Swiatek is the only former singles champion left in her draw and the Pole hit her impressive stride in a comfortable win over Samsonova.
The Pole will take on American sixth seed Jessica Pegula for a place in the semi-finals.
“There will be some long rallies and intense hitting,” predicted Swiatek of facing Pegula, who she also beat in the quarter-finals on her way to the title two years ago.
Beatriz Haddad Maia became the first Brazilian woman to reach the quarter-finals since Maria Bueno in 1968 when she defeated 2014 runner-up Caroline Wozniacki.
The 22nd-ranked left-hander converted a third match point to defeat the former world number one 6-2, 3-6, 6-3 and will next face 2023 semi-finalist Karolina Muchova.
Published in Dawn, September 4th, 2024
