(Reuters) – The U.S. Open enters its fourth round on Sunday as the world’s top players battle for Grand Slam glory in New York.
Paris Olympics finalists meet again with gold medallist Zheng Qinwen taking on silver medallist Donna Vekic.
Last year’s quarter-finalist Taylor Fritz, the biggest local hope in the men’s draw, faces a stern test in former finalist and eighth seed Casper Ruud.
Fourth seed Alexander Zverev will play Brandon Nakashima as the former finalist looks to end his long wait for a maiden Grand Slam title.
TOP WOMEN’S MATCH: ZHENG QINWEN V DONNA VEKIC
Zheng became the first Chinese player to win an Olympic tennis gold less than a month ago, and her first big test in the U.S. Open is a rematch of the Olympics final.
Zheng, 21, lost the opening set of both her matches in the first and second round, but returned to form in the third round, beating Germany’s Jule Niemeier in quick fashion.
“Finally, it’s the first match I won in two sets … it’s not (been) easy for me to play after Olympic Games,” Zheng said.
Silver medalist Vekic, who is yet to drop a set in the campaign, said she hoped to do better against Zheng on hard court.
“She played an unbelievable match in Paris. She was too good that match… but it’s a new match. We’re a couple of weeks later. It’s a different surface, thankfully for me,” Vekic said.
When Vekic beat Zheng the first time they met in 2021, it was on a hard court. The two played again on the same surface last October, with Zheng getting the win.
“She has a huge serve, it’s tough. Then she plays aggressive,” Vekic told reporters. “I think my goal will be to make her move and try to be the first one to open up the court.”
TOP MEN’S MATCH: CASPER RUUD V TAYLOR FRITZ
No American man has won a Grand Slam singles title since 2003, and last year’s quarter-finalist Taylor Fritz, the highest seed among the four Americans still standing in the men’s draw, senses an urgency to end the streak on home soil.
“We all want to be the one to end it,” the 26-year-old said.
But Fritz lost both the matches he has played against his next opponent, 2022 finalist Ruud, who shook off flu and fever to be fit for the tournament, and has been tested in deep waters by Shang Juncheng, winning the third-round clash from two sets down.
Ruud said he was ready to go through any gruelling battle that came his way to realise his dream of winning a Grand Slam, having lost three major finals in his career.
“I can be somewhat of a tough player to beat… if I’m physically ready and mentally also prepared for battle, which I think every five-setter is,” he said.
“Every year I come back here at the U.S. Open, I know that I reached a final, I was close at some point before, and that will always be motivating in a way.”
ZVEREV EYES MAIDEN MAJOR
Tokyo Olympics gold medallist and fourth seed Zverev is also chasing an elusive Grand Slam win, having lost the U.S. Open final in 2020 and the French Open final in June.
“I was very close (in) 2020 here. Obviously I was a few points away from winning the U.S. Open,” the 27-year-old said.
“And being one set away from the French Open, yes, I didn’t win the French Open, and I wish I would have, you know. It would have been a dream come true for me.”
Zverev, who picked up a knee injury during Wimbledon but recovered before the Paris Games where he lost in the quarter-finals, said the setbacks have raised his level of play.
“I’ve recovered from injury, I’m back competing for big tournaments… that gives me hope. That is something that, you know, I’ve worked very hard for. Of course one day I want to lift a Grand Slam trophy,” he added.
U.S. OPEN ORDER OF PLAY ON SUNDAY
ARTHUR ASHE STADIUM (1600 GMT/12 NOON ET)
6-Andrey Rublev (Russia) v 9-Grigor Dimitrov (Bulgaria)
13-Emma Navarro (U.S.) v 3-Coco Gauff (U.S.)
20-Frances Tiafoe (U.S.) v 28-Alexei Popyrin
7-Zheng Qinwen (China) v 24-Donna Vekic (Croatia)
LOUIS ARMSTRONG STADIUM (1500 GMT/11 AM ET)
26-Paula Badosa (Spain) v Wang Yafan (China)
8-Casper Ruud (Norway) v 12-Taylor Fritz (U.S.)
Brandon Nakashima (U.S.) v 4-Alexander Zverev (Germany)
33-Elise Mertens (Belgium) v 2-Aryna Sabalenka (Belarus)
(Reporting by Chiranjit Ojha in Bengaluru; Editing by Michael Perry)
