Sabalenka outclasses Bucsa to reach quarter-finals
Defending champion Aryna Sabalenka thumped unseeded Spaniard Cristina Bucsa 6-1, 6-4 on Sunday to seal her return to the US Open quarter-finals, ramping up her bid for a first Grand Slam title this year after defeats in two major finals.
The world number one, beaten in both the Australian and French Open finals, enjoyed her most comfortable win in New York this year as she inched closer to becoming the first woman since Serena Williams (2012-14) to win consecutive US Open titles.
"I was super happy with the straight-sets win. The second set was a little tricky, but I'm glad that I was able to close it without dropping my serve," Sabalenka told reporters.
"I felt really in control and then there was a really long game when I was 4-2 up (in the second set), and I felt I should have broken serve. She played some great points in that game.
"Yeah, maybe I got a little frustrated because I didn't close out that game, because I was so close. Overall, I'm happy with my performance."
An early break in the opening set helped Sabalenka seize the initiative and she built up a 5-1 advantage with a huge overhead smash at the net before comfortably wrapping up the set in only 27 minutes with her rattled opponent looking short of answers.
The 27-year-old top seed, a three-times Grand Slam champion, used all her experience to quell a suddenly resurgent Bucsa with a thunderous forehand winner for a crucial break in the fifth game of the second set.
Bucsa then waved her arms as if to conduct the roaring crowd at Louis Armstrong Stadium having held for 3-4 following a tense game lasting more than 10 minutes, but there was no stopping Sabalenka as she easily secured the victory from there.
Sabalenka, who has now reached at least the quarter-finals in the last 12 Grand Slams that she has competed in, will await the winner of Sunday's late encounter between Elena Rybakina and Marketa Vondrousova.
"I'm super proud. I think that's an incredible achievement," Sabalenka said.
"I think the key is balancing on-court and off-court life. I've done a great job balancing really hard work and also great recovery and (having) some fun times outside the court.
"That's been the key. I feel like I'm really enjoying my journey and my life. I think that's the main thing."
Pegula pounds Li to reach quarters
Fourth seed Jessica Pegula walloped fellow American Ann Li to reach the US Open quarter-finals on Sunday, while local fans were left to pin all their hopes on Taylor Fritz as the last home hope in the men's draw.
Last year's runner-up Pegula did not have the pre-tournament run she wanted, with early exits in Washington, Montreal and Cincinnati, but had not dropped a set in New York and swatted Li aside 6-1, 6-2 in the first match on Arthur Ashe Stadium.
A trip to an escape room - and a couple of drinks - got fourth seed Pegula out of her summer funk and into the New York groove as the American reached the US Open quarter-finals after a series of relentless frustrations on tour.
Pegula crashed out in the first round of Wimbledon before suffering early exits in Washington, Montreal and Cincinnati, casting a pall over her latest Flushing Meadows campaign.
But the 2024 runner-up has found another gear at Arthur Ashe Stadium, where she has yet to drop a set through four rounds.
"I felt terrible coming into this tournament, honestly. I had a practice Wednesday, I think I hit with (top seed Aryna) Sabalenka. She killed me. I was playing terrible," said Pegula.
"Then we went out for a second hour, and I stopped halfway through the hour and was, like, 'I'm done, this isn't good. I don't know why I'm out here practising'."
She got out of the Flushing Meadows bubble and onto the town with some friends before the start of the singles main draw, a strategy that she believes paid off.
"Went and did an escape room with my friends and had two drinks and was, like, 'I need to just chill and stop getting so frustrated and overthinking all these practices'," she told reporters.
"I hadn't really been playing some good tennis, and I didn't even feel like I was practising very well for the last few weeks. It's been really tough."
Her win on Sunday was convincing proof of her changed mindset, as she fired off a dozen winners and clinched victory with a terrific backhand winner down the line to reach her first major quarter-final this year.
"Probably the best match, honestly, I've played since before Wimbledon I feel like from the start to finish. So that was encouraging," said Pegula, who picked up titles in Charleston, Bad Homburg and Austin earlier this year.
"Doing everything well, executing my strategy very well and got through it pretty quick."
Gutsy Krejcikova survives home favourite Townsend
Barbora Krejcikova saved eight match points in a gladiatorial duel with American Taylor Townsend, clawing her way to a dramatic 1-6, 7-6(13), 6-3 victory on Sunday, calling her escape "very brave and a little lucky" as she secured a place in the US Open quarter-finals.
The two-time Grand Slam champion mounted a thrilling showcase of resilience in New York, clinching the win in a three-hour battle to extend her US Open campaign. She will now face another American and last year's runner-up Jessica Pegula.
"Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't. Definitely at all those match points, I was just very brave, but also lucky at certain points," Krejcikova told reporters.
"We had great rallies, and I was facing them when I was serving, then when I was returning.
"It was really tough to know what is going to happen or what to expect. I was just trying to put the ball on her side, in that space, and hoping that I'm going to save it."
Townsend came out firing, breaking Krejcikova twice early with sharp returning and clean ball-striking, while the Czech’s errors only eased her path. The American never wavered on serve and broke again to close out the set in under half an hour.
The second set turned into a rollercoaster as Townsend broke early and looked ready to pull away, but a double fault helped Krejcikova break back.
From there they traded holds and tense moments, Townsend squandering the first of her match points on return before Krejcikova failed to serve out the set to force a nail-biting tiebreak.
The match reached peak drama as Townsend piled up match points only to watch them go begging through errors or see Krejcikova fend them off with gutsy winners.
The tiebreak turned into pure chaos. Townsend earned a triple match point at 6-3, but Krejcikova clawed back. Townsend then thought she had it won on her fifth chance, only to see the Czech's forehand clip the line.
Krejcikova squandered three set points of her own before she finally converted on her fourth opportunity with an overhead smash to take it 15-13.
The 25-minute duel, the longest tiebreak of the tournament so far, had the crowd buzzing, with other players pausing practice to watch the drama unfold on the screens.
Visibly fatigued in the third set, the pair traded breaks until the Czech seized the upper hand to serve for the match.
After missing her first match point, Krejcikova converted the second, leaving Townsend in tears as the Czech celebrated her hard-fought victory.
"This hurts, but it's part of competition, it's part of sports, but I'm right where I need to be," Townsend said.
"It was literally like a point here and there that made the difference. It stings, but I'm proud of myself."
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