NEW YORK: Defending champion Carlos Alcaraz overcame Britain's Daniel Evans with a 6-2, 6-3, 4-6, 6-3 win on Saturday, surviving his first real challenge at the US Open in the third round.
The top-seeded Spaniard breezed through his opening matches at Flushing Meadows and at first appeared on track for another easy victory but had to find his best form after Evans mounted a third-set comeback.
Alcaraz needed to produce a high-class display to overcome Evans and his trademark box of tricks, but the Spaniard’s consistency and power was key as he held firm for a three-hour, 10-minute triumph.
He next plays Italian Matteo Arnaldi, who shocked Britain's 16th seed Cameron Norrie 6-3, 6-4, 6-3 on Court 17.
It will be the first meeting between the 2022 ATP Finals competitor Arnaldi and Alcaraz, who is trying to become the first player to defend the men’s singles crown at the US Open since Roger Federer in 2008.
Daniil Medvedev took a sledgehammer to Sebastian Baez’s 12-match winning streak inside Arthur Ashe Stadium, defeating the Argentine 6-2, 6-1 7-6(6) to power into the fourth round.
After a subdued opening two sets, Baez took the fight to Medvedev in the third, hitting bigger forehands and coming to net 17 times, nearing the 18 total net visits he made in the first two rounds.
Baez led 5-2 in the third set but his momentum was halted by a 10-minute delay for light rain. When play resumed Medvedev broke to get back on serve at 4-5, fended off one set point in the following game, and dug out of a 0/30 hole in his next service game.
Baez made a number of tired unforced errors at key moments, including at 6/6 serving in the tie-break.
In the Round of 16, the former world no. 1 Russian will now try to snap a two-match losing streak against Alex de Minaur, although he leads the Australian 4-2 overall in their Head-to-Head series. The 13th seed Minaur beat 23rd seed Nicolas Jarry 6-1, 6-3, 6-2.
Germany’s Alexander Zverev rallied past the former World No. 3 Grigor Dimitrov 6-7(2), 7-6(8), 6-1, 6-1 to advance to the fourth round.
The German, who has made it to the Round of 16 in four consecutive appearances at the event, will next play sixth seed Jannik Sinner, who defeated 2016 US Open champion Stan Wawrinka 6-3, 2-6, 6-4, 6-2 earlier in the day.
Across the plaza, 21-year-old Jack Draper offered British fans hope as he outlasted American wildcard Michael Mmoh 6-4, 6-2, 3-6, 6-3 to book his first trip to a Grand Slam fourth round.
He will face Russian eighth seed Andrey Rublev, who beat France's Arthur Rinderknech 3-6, 6-3, 6-1, 7-5.
Last year’s finalist Ons Jabeur of Tunisia needed nearly three hours to post a 5-7, 7-6(5), 6-3 comeback win over Czech player Marie Bouzkova at Arthur Ashe Stadium.
Saturday’s win was the second straight three-set triumph for the 29-year-old from Tunisia. After her latest closely-contested win, Jabeur meets Zheng Qinwen, the rising 20-year-old from China, in the Round of 16 on Monday. Qinwen beat Lucia Bronzetti of Italy 6-3, 4-6, 6-4.
In other action, reigning Wimbledon champion Marketa Vondrousova of Czech Republic needed only 56 minutes to claim a spot in the Round of 16, dispatching No.22 seed Russian Ekaterina Alexandrova 6-2, 6-1.
With the win, Vondrousova matches her career-best showing at the US Open — a run to the Round of 16 as a 19-year-old in 2018.
In the Round of 16, Vondrousova will face American Peyton Stearns, which should bring back 2023 Wimbledon memories for both of them.
In their lone prior meeting, Vondrousova beat Stearns in the opening round of the Czech’s title run in London.
Playing in just her fourth career Grand Slam main draw, 59th-ranked Stearns booked a spot in her first-ever second week at a major with a 6-4, 6-3 victory over Great Britain’s Katie Boulter, ranked two spots lower at No.61.
On the other hand, the No.3 seed American Jessica Pegula advanced to the fourth round in singles with a 6-4, 4-6, 6-2 victory over No.26 Ukrainian Elina Svitolina and set an all-American clash with her friend Madison Keys on Monday. Keys beat 14th seed Liudmila Samsonova 5-7, 6-2, 6-2.
She won the only previous match against Keys — a finalist here in 2017 and a semifinalist in 2018 — last year in San Diego.
In another third round match, 13th seed Daria Kasatkina beat Greet Minnen 6-3, 6-4. Agencies
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