In a US Open full of surprises, the Czech Karolina Muchova returned to the quarter-finals on Monday after a ten-month absence and the Briton Jack Draper reached the quarter-finals of a Grand Slam for the first time.
Much more in the order of things in recent years, Daniil Medvedev, 5th in the world and winner of the 2021 edition, outclassed the Portuguese Nuno Borges (34th) 6-0, 6-1, 6-3 and, at 28, the Russian will play the quarter-finals at Flushing Meadows for the fifth time in his last six participations.
It will be Wednesday against world No. 1 Jannik Sinner or American Tommy Paul (14th) who will face each other in the night session on Monday.
In the women’s category, world number 1 and 2022 winner Iga Swiatek must try to reach the quarter-finals at night.
Draper, ranked 25th in the world, became the first Briton to reach the quarter-finals in New York in the men’s draw since Andy Murray in 2016.
To do this, he easily defeated the Czech Tomas Machac (39th) 6-3, 6-1, 6-2.
“The last times we played against each other (3 wins in 3 games for Machac, editor’s note), we had a lot of battles. Today, I played at a decent level and he was not at his best. But I had to stay focused on each point,” commented Draper.
– No chance –
He left no chance to Machac, any more than he had left any to his other opponents at Flushing Meadows: in four matches to reach the quarter-finals, the Briton only conceded his serve once, against the Dutchman Botic van de Zandschulp in the third round.
Aged 22, he will face Australian Alex De Minaur (10th) or his compatriot Jordan Thompson (32nd) on Wednesday for a place in the last four.
Last year at the US Open, he lost in the round of 16, which was his best result in a Grand Slam to date.
“It’s amazing to play on Court Louis Armstrong. Last year, that’s where I lost at this stage of the tournament, so it’s good to come back and get a better result this year,” Draper said.
At the start of the day, Muchova (52nd in the world) easily defeated the Italian Jasmine Paolini (5th), finalist of the last two Majors (Roland-Garros and Wimbledon), 6-3, 6-3 in 1h09.
“Jasmine is an incredible player and I’m happy that things are going well for me here again this year,” said the 28-year-old Czech.
A finalist at Roland Garros last year, she cut her season short after her semi-final at Flushing Meadows due to a wrist injury.
Operated on in February, she returned to the circuit at Eastbourne (grass) in June and has therefore played very little this year.
– Pegula attends Swiatek –
“It was my most serious injury, but I love this sport. In my head, I really wanted to do everything to recover. And here I am today!” she said, saying she felt “happy as a child.”
After her quarter-final in Eastbourne, the former world No. 8 lost in the first round at Wimbledon, was a finalist in Palermo, lost in the first round of the Olympic Games in Paris and in the second in Cincinnati.
When she arrived in New York, she had only seven victories this season, none in Grand Slams.
On Wednesday, she will face the Brazilian Beatriz Haddad (21st) to try to return to the New York semi-finals.
For his part, Paolini, who had never made it past the second round of a Grand Slam before this year, has a fine record, notably with his two finals at Roland-Garros and Wimbledon.
Still in the women’s category, the American Jessica Pegula (6th) will play a new quarter-final in New York after the one in 2022, having easily dominated 6-4, 6-2 the Russian Diana Shnaider (18th) who had never yet played an eighth in a major.
Pegula has reached the quarterfinals of every Major without ever going further.
This time, to reach the last four, she will find Swiatek or the Russian Liudmila Samsonova (16th) on her path.
ig/chc
