The quality of tennis rose on day 5 of the women’s singles at the US Open. The first half of the third-round matches got underway, and there were many superb contests. There was a mixture of comfortable wins, tight matches, and one big upset. Read on to discover who looked good, bad, and which match stood out the most.
US Open Day 5 Women’s Recap
Who looked good
Iga Swiatek continued her early-round dominance. She demolished her best friend on the WTA Tour Kaja Juvan 6-0 6-1. This was an incredible performance even by the four-time Grand Slam champion’s very high standards. For instance, she only made one unforced error during the entirety of the opening set, and faced no break points in either set. Juvan will be relieved she managed to avoid a double bagel.
Jelena Ostapenko awaits Swiatek in the fourth round. The feisty Latvian had to come from behind to triumph 4-6 6-3 6-3 over home favourite Bernarda Pera. Sunday’s match against the world #1 is not to be missed. Ostapenko has actually beaten the Pole in all three previous meetings. Swiatek will be seeking revenge.
Karolina Muchova did a very good job of navigating a tricky matchup. She defeated the powerful Taylor Townsend, who had been in inspired form in the first two rounds. 7-6 6-3 was the final score. The first set was very tight throughout. But Muchova then won the tiebreak 7-0, before running away with the match.
Caroline Wozniacki continued her dream return to Grand Slam tennis after nearly four years away. The Dane showed her trademark fighting spirit to recover from losing the first set to beat Jennifer Brady 4-6 6-3 6-1. Wozniacki barely made an unforced error in the final set, and will be a hard match for anyone in the draw if she plays like the last set.
Who looked bad
It was Elena Rybakina who was the victim of the big upset of the day in the women’s singles. The fourth seed lost 6-3 6-7 6-4 to Sorana Cirstea. It is the first time the Romanian has reached the fourth round at Flushing Meadows. The match was of stunning quality at times, with the crowd on Louis Armstrong Stadium enthralled throughout. The biggest difference in the end was Rybakina’s serve in the final set. It faltered in a way that was very unusual for her.
Anna Karolina Schmiedlova is likely to be very disappointed with how she let her match slip away. She took the opening set 6-4. But ended up succumbing to a 4-6 6-3 6-2 loss to Xinyu Wang. Schmiedlova paid the price in particular for not being clinical on break points, missing 9 of 11 opportunities, often with uncharacteristic unforced errors. That will make the loss hurt more.
It would be harsh to say Juvan looked very bad against Swiatek. She certainly had no chance of victory with the world #1 in the mood she was. But the Slovenian never quite rose to the occasion. The final score certainly would have been more respectable if Juvan had found the level she is capable of.
Match of the day
Coco Gauff vs Elise Mertens on Arthur Ashe Stadium takes home the title of match of the day. The recent Cincinnati champion found herself in major trouble. She lost the first 6-3, and then was down break points early in the second set. Gauff managed to save four break points in that game to get out of trouble. This turned out to be the crucial turning point of the match. The American #2 suddenly began playing much better, and broke in the very next game, going on to take the set 6-3. Gauff was near flawless after that, barely making an unforced error in the entire last set. She won it without dropping a game, prevailing over Mertens 3-6 6-3 6-0. That victory means a blockbuster fourth-round clash with Caroline Wozniacki on Sunday.
Main Photo Credit: Mike Frey – USA TODAY Sports
