US Open : Zverev, Kerber move; Osaka survives scare
NEW YORK: Tennis stars Novak Djokovic and Petra Kvitova made it to the last 16 of the ongoing US Open after winning the third-round matches in their respective categories.
In men's singles, Djokovic defeated No. 28 seed Jan-Lennard Struff 6-3, 6-3, 6-1 in a match that lasted One hour and 42 minutes at the Arthur Ashe Stadium on Friday.
"It was a very good performance from my side. I managed to read his serve well," the top-seeded player said after the match as per the ATP Tour website. "I found my way, especially after the first set. The second and third sets were a really great feeling on the court.
"I've been playing well the past couple of weeks, training well, focussing on the right things, maintaining that level of performance and hoping for the best. I'm feeling confident about my game and taking that to every match I play," he added.
Awaiting him in the next round is No. 20 seed Pablo Carreno Busta, who breezed past Ricardas Berankis 6-4, 6-3, 6-2.
In women's singles, No.6 seed Kvitova moved past Jessica Pegula 6-4, 6-3 to advance to the round of 16 at a Grand Slam event for the 20th time in her career.
"I think the whole match was at a pretty good level," Kvitova told the media, after her win. "We both played nice tennis, I would say." She will next face another hard-hitting American Shelby Rogers, who ousted Madison Brengle.
The US Open is the only Grand Slam event where Kvitova has failed to reach the semi-finals and next up for her will be another American in Shelby Rogers, who earlier advanced with a 6-2, 6-4 win against compatriot Madison Brengle.
Former champion Naomi Osaka survived a third-round scare before grinding out a 6-3, 6-7(4), 6-2 victory over fearless Ukrainian teenager Marta Kostyuk to reach the last 16.
The Japanese fourth seed initially looked like she would enjoy a routine day on the court but was forced to dig deep to secure victory after two hours and 33 minutes against an 18-year-old making her US Open main draw debut.
"She didn't back down from me or from, like, the speed of my ball, which for someone that young is kind of amazing, because I feel like, you know, the first set went that way, and then she could have faded in the second set," said Osaka.
Germany's Angelique Kerber advanced with a 6-3, 6-4 victory over 20-year-old American Ann Li. Croatian eighth seed Petra Martic survived another sloppy display to see off Grand Slam newcomer Varvara Gracheva 6-3, 6-3 and reach the US Open round of 16 for the second consecutive year.
Alexander Zverev feared his tie with Adrian Mannarino may not go ahead on Friday due to COVID-19 protocols but the German secured a 6-7(4), 6-4, 6-2, 6-2 win in a match delayed almost three hours due to talks between organizers and New York health officials.
The US Open third-round clash was originally scheduled to start at 2.30 p.m. local time on Louis Armstrong Stadium but was pushed back while the United States Tennis Association engaged in "collaborative dialogue" with health officials.
Zverev next faces Spain's Alejandro Davidovich Fokina, who defeated Britain's Cameron Norrie 7-6(2), 4-6, 6-2, 6-1.
Denis Shapovalov won the battle of North American young guns by grinding out a 3-6, 6-3, 4-6, 7-6(5), 6-2 win over Taylor Fritz. Next up for Shapovalov is Belgium seventh seed David Goffin who was a 6-1, 7-6(5), 6-4 winner over Serbia's Filip Krajinovic. Agencies