NEW YORK: Laser-focused Iga Swiatek barely broke sweat as the former US Open champion methodically dismantled Russian 13th seed Ekaterina Alexandrova 6-3, 6-1 and booked her return to the quarter-finals of the Grand Slam on Monday.

The 24-year-old’s crushing win on Louis Armstrong Stadium meant that she became the youngest woman to reach at least the quarter-finals of all four Grand Slams in a single season since 18-year-old Maria Sharapova managed the feat in 2005.

After an early exchange of breaks, Swiatek pounced again in the seventh game when Alexandrova’s attempt at a cheeky shot at the net misfired and allowed the 2022 New York champion to bag the opening set shortly afterwards.

Six-times major winner Swiatek never looked back from there as she took control of the second set to see off Alexandrova and continue her bid to become the first woman since Serena Williams in 2012 to win Wimbledon and the US Open in the same year.

On the men’s side, Australian eighth seed Alex de Minaur powered into the quarter-finals with a straight-sets rout of Swiss qualifier Leandro Riedi.

De Minaur, who also reached the US Open quarter-finals last year, cruised to victory 6-3, 6-2, 6-1 in one hour 33 minutes.

Riedi, whose world ranking has plummeted to 435th after undergoing two knee surgeries in the past 12 months, was never in contention against the skilful De Minaur.

The 26-year-old Aussie broke Riedi eight times and took advantage of 39 unforced errors by his opponent to wrap up a clinical win.

De Minaur has reached five Grand Slam quarter-finals before but never managed to progress beyond the last eight.

He will face Canada’s Felix Auger-Aliassime for a place in the semi-finals on Wednesday.

Auger-Aliassime defeated Andrey Rublev in straight sets as the Canadian 25th seed reached his first Grand Slam quarter-final in three years.

Auger-Aliassime retrieved a break in the first set before seizing control against the 15th-ranked Rublev, triumphing 7-5, 6-3, 6-4 for just his second win over the Russian in nine attempts.

The 25-year-old Auger-Aliassime, who beat third seed Alexander Zverev in the previous round, climbed as high as sixth in the world at the end of 2022 but had not made it to a major quarter-final since that year’s Australian Open.

His deepest run at a Grand Slam came when he advanced to the semi-finals of the US Open four years ago.

On a pulsating Sunday, dreams died by fractions of an inch and were reborn through sheer determination with Taylor Townsend’s heartbreaking exit contrasting sharply with Taylor Fritz’s steady march onward.

Townsend’s three-hour odyssey against Barbora Krejcikova provided the day’s most compelling drama, the mother from Chicago saving eight match points before finally succumbing 1-6, 7-6 (15/13), 6-3 in a thriller that left even her four-year-old son A.J. offering gentle consolation.

Krejcikova will face American fourth seed Jessica Pegula in the quarter-finals.

The 29-year-old Townsend’s anguish provided a stark contrast to Fritz’s businesslike 6-4, 6-3, 6-3 dismissal of Czech Tomas Machac, to fly the American flag as the country’s sole male survivor from the 23 who began the tournament.

The Californian will carry the nation’s hopes of ending a 22-year major drought since Andy Roddick’s 2003 triumph.

For Fritz, the weight of American expectations brings both pressure and opportunity as he prepares to face tennis icon Novak Djokovic, who made history by becoming the oldest man to reach Grand Slam quarter-finals in all four majors in a single season.

The 38-year-old continued his latest bid for a record 25th Grand Slam singles title with a brisk 6-3, 6-3, 6-2 defeat of unseeded German Jan-Lennard Struff despite requiring treatment on his right shoulder during the match.

The day’s narrative of perseverance and heartbreak extended beyond American borders, with former champions showcasing the mental fortitude that separates the great from the nearly great.

Spanish second seed Carlos Alcaraz overpowered France’s Arthur Rinderknech 7-6 (7/3), 6-3, 6-4 and has not dropped a set to date at the championships.

The five-time Grand Slam champion will face Czech 20th seed Jiri Lehecka in the quarter-finals on Tuesday. Lehecka reached the last eight of a Grand Slam for only the second time after battling past veteran Frenchman Adrian Mannarino, winning 7-6 (7/4), 6-4, 2-6, 6-2.

Reigning women’s champion Aryna Sabalenka continued her imperious form with a 6-1, 6-4 victory over Cristina Bucsa.

Sabalenka faces a quarter-final against the Czech Republic’s Marketa Vondrousova, the 2023 Wimbledon champion, who upset ninth seed Elena Rybakina 6-4, 5-7, 6-2 in the late game on Arthur Ashe.

Published in Dawn, September 2nd, 2025