World No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz on Saturday surged into the last 16 of the US Open, as Tunisia’s Ons Jabeur kept her dream of a first Grand Slam title alive with victory in a three-set thriller.
Alcaraz, looking to become the first man to successfully defend the title since Roger Federer in 2008, produced a flurry of magical shots en route to dispatching British 26th seed Dan Evans 6-2, 6-3, 4-6, 6-3.
It was another stylish victory for the 20-year-old Spaniard, who is today to face Italy’s Matteo Arnaldi in the fourth round.
Photo: Danielle Parhizkaran-USA TODAY
The Spaniard kept Evans on the back foot with his booming forehand, while delighting the Arthur Ashe Stadium crowd with several of his signature forehand drop shots.
Alcaraz also conjured one of the shots of the tournament to clinch a decisive break in the fourth set, curling a logic-defying forehand up the line past Evans for a 4-2 lead.
Alcaraz, who is to surrender his world No. 1 ranking to Novak Djokovic at the end of this tournament, said he was motivated by matching Federer in defending his crown.
Photo: AFP
“Obviously defending the title is a goal for me,” he said. “I’m looking for that. Nobody’s done it here since Roger, so I’d love to be part of tournament history with him.”
Alcaraz’s win keeps him on track for a repeat quarter-final against Italy’s Jannik Sinner, a year after the two men dueled in an epic five-hour five-setter that finished at 2:50am, the latest finish in US Open history.
Sixth seed Sinner did his part to keep the rematch with a stylish 6-3, 2-6, 6-4, 6-2 win over Swiss veteran Stan Wawrinka.
Arguably the game of day six came in the women’s draw, where popular Tunsian fifth seed Jabeur overcame a courageous display by injured opponent Marie Bouzkova to advance.
Czech No. 31 seed Bouzkova started strongly to win the opening set against Jabeur, who has been laid low by flu since the start of the championships.
The game changed midway through the second set when Bouzkova sustained what appeared to be a thigh injury, severely hampering her mobility thereafter.
Despite grimacing and wincing in pain, she kept on playing as Jabeur dug deep to complete a 5-7, 7-6 (7/5), 6-3 in 2 hours, 56 minutes.
“This is a tough sport. You always don’t want to give up. I really respect her for that,” Jabeur said.
Jabeur, who today faces China’s Zheng Qinwen in the last 16, is chasing a first Grand Slam title after agonizing defeats in three major championship finals in the past two seasons.
In the women’s doubles, Taiwan’s Chan Hao-ching and Mexican partner Giuliana Olmos were knocked out of the second round, losing 6-4, 4-6, 6-3 to Sophie Chang and Alycia Parks of the US.
Taiwan’s Wu Fang-hsien and Zhu Lin of China also exited after losing 6-3, 3-6, 6-3 to Gabriela Dabrowksi of Canada and Erin Routliffe of New Zealand.
In the first round of the mixed doubles, Taiwan’s Hsieh Su-wei and Salvadoran partner Marcelo Arevalo-Gonzalez lost 6-1, 6-4 to Mate Pavic of Croatia and Ena Shibahara of Japan.
Additional reporting by staff writer, with AP
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