That’s it from the blog for today, thanks for your company. Be sure to check back for reports on the late action. Bye!
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Wawrinka defeats Lorenzi 6-4, 7-6 (9), 7-6 (4)
... which Wawrinka turns into 5-2. He was very much in control of the second-set tie-break and made things much harder than they needed to be. Will the same happen here? Lorenzi takes two points on serve for 5-4, to at least keep the pressure on Wawrinka, who has the next two balls to put this match away. An ace makes it two match points after nearly three hours. And they’ve only played three sets. Another snarling serve and Wawrinka ends the run of the lucky loser – but that was anything but easy. Novak Djokovic, who’s coming up in the night session along with Elina Svitolina, Sofia Kenin v Madison Keys and Daniil Medvedev v Feliciano Lopez, could be next for Wawrinka. Though apparently Djokovic has yet to practice today as concerns over his shoulder injury persist.
Hard-earned win for @stanwawrinka over Paolo Lorenzi, first time into the fourth round at the @usopen since he won it in 2016
— Simon Cambers (@scambers73) August 30, 2019
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Lorenzi bizarrely bashes himself in the face with three balls as he prepares to serve at 2-1 down. Whatever he was trying to do, it doesn’t work, because he promptly falls 3-1 behind. But Wawrinka is feeling charitable and misses with a backhand he should have made, his 48th unforced error. 3-2 ...
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Kyrgios and Copil have beaten Skupski and Daniell in the first round of the men’s doubles, 6-7 (5), 7-5, 7-6 (1), just as Lorenzi holds for 6-5. Wawrinka is then called for a foot fault, just to rub salt into the Swiss’s wounds, but he brushes it off and shows wonderful hands at the net to win the point. 15-0, 30-0, 40-0, game. It’s time for another tie-break, Wawrinka will hope it’s slightly more straightforward than the first ...
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This is draining just to watch ...
An iconic point from an iconic player 🙌
— US Open Tennis (@usopen) August 30, 2019
For 🇺🇸 @andyroddick’s birthday, revisit a legendary exchange from his visor-wearing days...💪🎈#USOpen pic.twitter.com/FGYMmDgG11
Wawrinka is scratching his head after conceding the opening point. 0-15. A poor miss from Lorenzi and it’s 15-all. Lorenzi nets again for 30-15. Wawrinka doubles for 30-all. An error-strewn game from both players. But Lorenzi whips a forehand return winner and it’s break point! Wawrinka is bamboozled by Lorenzi’s shanked shot and Wawrinka is broken while serving for the match! It’s 5-5. Come on Stan, some of us are due to be finishing work now ...
There have been plenty of break points in this third set – five for Lorenzi, two for Wawrinka (Lorenzi’s converted only one out of 12 in the match overall) – but they’re still on serve at 4-4. Lorenzi then sends down his first double fault of the match at completely the wrong time to give Wawrinka two more break points. 15-40. That backhand from Wawrinka gets the job done and he’s now just a game away from the last 16.
Wawrinka breaks his racket in 2 in anger then gives it to a young lad in the front row. Great? How about giving him 1 he could use🙄🙄
— Chris Bradnam (@ChrisBradnam1) August 30, 2019
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With Lorenzi’s legs looking heavy, Wawrinka has two break points at 2-2 in the third. But the Italian’s heart is still strong. He saves both and recovers to deuce. Lorenzi isn’t the only lucky loser in action because Poland’s Kamil Majchrzak is just under way against the forgotten man Grigor Dimitrov, who’s had an awful year. Meanwhile the other remaining singles match of the day session is also getting started, with the 17th seed, Nikoloz Basilashvili, up against the German qualifier Dominik Koepfer. Both defeated home hopes in Jenson Brooksby and Reilly Opelka in the previous round, so probably don’t have too many backers on Grandstand.
Federer and Williams’s speedy wins on Arthur Ashe earlier mean the men’s doubles match involving Nick Kyrgios has been moved there, and he’s just pulled off a quite ridiculous angled winner while moving into the net to secure the second set 7-5, alongside his partner Marius Copil of Romania. Britain’s Ken Skupski and Marcus Daniell of New Zealand won the first 7-6 (5).
After three matches in qualifying, followed by two five-setters to get to the third round, how much will Lorenzi have left in the tank here? He’s just one of three 37-year-olds playing in the men’s singles today, by the way, what with Federer trouncing Dan Evans earlier (and then getting uncharacteristically sweary) and Feliciano Lopez coming up in the night session against Daniil Medvedev. Federer now knows he’ll face David Goffin in the fourth round, because the 15th seed has come through in straight sets that were anything but straightforward, 7-6 (5), 7-6 (9), 7-5 against Pablo Carreno Busta.
... Wawrinka tees up a fourth set point on his serve, but this one also vanishes, and then Lorenzi, the lucky loser remember, has a set point of his own at 8-7! This time Wawrinka keeps the set going, and edges 9-8 up. A fifth set point. The crowd gasp when Wawrinka’s backhand clips the top of the tape and loops over ... Lorenzi isn’t distracted and manages to bury the volley. 9-9. 10-9 Wawrinka, a sixth set point. Lorenzi finally surrenders when he slaps a backhand into the net and Wawrinka is a set away from a possible fourth-round meeting with Novak Djokovic, whom he beat in that 2016 final.
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Lorenzi at least takes the next point on his serve, but Wawrinka is allezing to himself after holding serve on the following two for 6-3. The first two set points are on Lorenzi’s racket, and the Italian holds firm. But now Wawrinka is serving at 6-5. Up steps Stan, who’s being backed strongly by the Louis Armstrong patrons, but Lorenzi pushes Wawrinka deep and out wide before skipping forward to plant a volley into the other corner. All three set points have come and gone ...
Wawrinka, 3-1 ahead, thinks he’s put away the forehand winner but Hawk-Eye confirms he slightly miscued, so they’re back on serve. Will that miss come back to haunt the 23rd seed? Unlikely. Because Wawrinka immediately restores the mini-break and changes ends leading 4-2 ...
Wang Qiang completes her comeback from 0-3 down, takes the first set 76(1) over Fiona Ferro.
— WTA Insider (@WTA_insider) August 30, 2019
25 rallies in that 61 minute set went 9+ shots. Wang missed just 4 returns in the whole set. #USOpen
Lorenzi, for the second time, is serving to stay in the second set, at 6-5 down. And that the Italian does, to 15. Though the highlight of the game was a trademark Wawrinka one-handed backhand winner. That shot never gets old. It’s time for a tie-break ...
David Goffin has saved three set points to lead Pablo Carreno Busta 7-6 (5), 7-6 (9). This is tortuous stuff. They’ve been playing for more than two and a half hours on Court 17. As for Wawrinka, the second set has meandered along somewhat, but is starting to get serious as Wawrinka holds from deuce for 5-4. And in the other singles match currently on court, Fiona Ferro, who defeated Angelique Kerber’s first-round conqueror Kristina Mladenovic in the second round, is into a first-set tie-break against Wang Qiang. Both players are attempting to reach the last 16 of a major for the first time, an achievement that would be especially poignant for Wang after the death of her former coach Peter McNamara this month.
Talking of the women’s title favourites, five days in, who’s your tip? Will Williams finally claim that elusive 24th slam? Can Barty build on that French Open win? Can Konta break through into a major final? Will Osaka start playing like the world No 1 again – or will Coco Gauff make even bigger waves? And what of the in-form Bianca Andreescu, Madison Keys and Sofia Kenin? Do get in touch via email or Twitter. Let’s talk!
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Navratilova also talked about Konta’s win – “She played with clarity. It’s an A-plus performance for me. It seems she’s playing more by instinct” – before saying of Williams’s title chances: “For me it’s always Serena Williams against the field. It’s still the case, even more so because she’s looking very comfortable and healthy. If she doesn’t win it it’s wide open, there could be 10 people.”
Speaking of Gauff, Martina Navratilova’s been in the Amazon Prime studio and giving her thoughts on the prodigy:
She’s got the potential to be one of the greatest if she stays healthy. Everything is working for her. She’s got the head, the heart, the passion and the game, which can only get better. I had to play for 10 years before I spoke as well as she does. She’s well beyond her years.
Jumping into R2 of doubles like... 🤣
— US Open Tennis (@usopen) August 30, 2019
Coco Gauff & Caty McNally defeat Siniaková & Görges 7-6(6), 6-2!@CocoGauff | @CatyMcNally | #USOpen pic.twitter.com/plka6h3xwz
The Coco show is continuing today, not in the singles but the women’s doubles. The teenage sensation has warmed up for her third-round blockbuster with the defending champion, Naomi Osaka, tomorrow by teaming up with another precocious American talent, Caty McNally, and coming back from 6-2 down in the first-set tie-break to beat the experienced partnership of Julia Goerges and Katerina Siniakova, 7-6 (6), 6-2. Gauff and McNally have played only two events together before, the 2018 US Open juniors and Washington this month, and they won both.
Wawrinka takes advantage of Lorenzi’s lack of prolifigacy to whizz to 0-40 and three set points on the Italian’s serve. Wawrinka pings an inside-out forehand past Lorenzi’s backhand wing and that’s the set 6-4. This match is almost completely on the 2016 champion’s racket. He’s dictating the play with 20 winners and 16 unforced errors; Lorenzi has four and five respectively.
Thanks Niall. Thankfully there was no dinner thievery tonight, so I’m suitably sated. I return as Wawrinka is chuntering to himself in his chair about something, though I’m not sure why he looks so unhappy given he’s just repelled five break points to nudge 5-4 ahead. So Lorenzi, who should really be serving for the set, is instead serving to stay in it.
Still a curious atmosphere on Armstrong, with both Lorenzi and Wawrinka himself a little confused that the Swiss avoided a warning for throwing his racket. Lorenzi falls 0-30 down, but rallies with four straight points to hold. And with that, it’s back to Katy ...
Wawrinka had been threatening, and promptly breaks his journeyman opponent in the sixth game – only to end up two break-points down himself in the next. The Swiss saves the first, but not the second, as he mishits a volley, before launching his racket at his chair. He then sheepishly asks the umpire if he’d been given a warning (he hadn’t).
Elsewhere, David Goffin has won the first-set tie-break against Pablo Carreño Busta, a player whose name I can only read to the tune of “Another One Bites The Dust”.
Dan Evans has complained that a quick turnaround was partly to blame for his heavy defeat to Roger Federer:
“I was fatigued,” Evans said. “I thought it was pretty tough I was first up after playing yesterday, if I’m being brutally honest. Him being totally fresh and me, you know, battling yesterday, I didn’t get out of here until probably going on 6pm ... just complete polar opposites, isn’t it?
“And to try to beat him feeling tired, stiff, playing four sets yesterday, it’s near on impossible. But do you think a guy who’s my ranking has any say in that? There are probably about four people in this tournament who have a say when they play. Maybe three.”
Federer, who played his second-round match under the roof on a rain-hit Wednesday, hit back at Evans’ comments. “That doesn’t mean like, ‘Roger asks, Roger gets’,” Federer said.
“Just remember that, because I have heard this shit too often now. I’m sick and tired of it, that apparently I call the shots. The tournament and the TV stations do. We can give our opinion. That’s what we do. But I’m still going to walk out even if they schedule me at 4 o’clock in the morning.”
On Louis Armstrong, 2016 champ Stan Wawrinka is in action against Italy’s Paolo Lorenzi, who’s hoping to match his best-ever US Open (and slam) performance by reaching the fourth round. 34-year-old Wawrinka is used to being the veteran, but he’s actually three years younger than Lorenzi. Still on serve in the first set.
Those three victories mean the bottom half of the women’s fourth-round draw is taking shape. Konta will face the No 3 seed, Karolina Pliskova, next. Williams and Barty, meanwhile, are on course for a box-office quarter-final meeting.
Johanna Konta beats Zhang Shuai 6-2, 6-3!
Konta cruises through her service game and then attacks the Zhang serve, aggressive returns helping her carve out a match point. Zhang saves the first, but Konta dominates the next rally – and seals victory as a Zhang forehand goes long!
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Over on Grandstand, Johanna Konta sees a break point, and a chance to go 5-2 up in the second, go begging as Zhang holds her serve. The No 16 seed still leads by a set and a break.
Serena Williams beats Karolina Muchova!
Serena finishes off the job to win 6-3, 6-2. She tells courtside reporters she’s happy with her performance, and looking forward to an evening off with her daughter after her afternoon win. She’ll play Petra Martic next.
Serena into the 4th Round of the US Open with a 6-3, 6-2 victory over Karolina Muchová, a rising Czech threat. Impressive tournament from Serena thus far. Looks fit and focused and has solved three very different tennis riddles in the opening rounds. No. 22 seed Petra Martic next
— Christopher Clarey (@christophclarey) August 30, 2019
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Thanks Katy. I’ve just had my dinner, since you ask – I found it in the fridge got the classic Friday fish and chips from the Guardian Towers canteen. Now time to judge some athletes!
I’m off to grab some food (that’s if no one’s stolen my dinner today), so I’ll leave you in the very capable hands of Niall McVeigh ...
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Barty beats Sakkari 7-5, 6-3
Ashleigh Barty, who is looking to reassert herself after a mixed time of it since winning the French Open in June, has advanced in two tight sets against Maria Sakkari. Maria’s an incredible competitor. It was important for me to try to dictate. It was tricky to play a friend but really happy with the way I closed out those sets. Nothing’s changed [since winning the French Open]. I’m still the same person. It hasn’t changed the way I prepare or live my life. It was incredible journey in Paris, I loved every minute, but as soon as we come back over to America I can’t wait to get to New York.” but it hasn’t changed the way
There were so many questions about Williams’s state of mind and body coming into this tournament but she’s looking in good touch right now. From 3-3 in the first set, she’s taken six games on the spin for 6-3, 3-0. Muchova has impressive variety but, as is so often the case for Williams’s opponents, she can’t quite match the 37-year-old for power.
Konta is aiming to equal her best performance at Flushing Meadows by reaching the fourth round. This is the only grand slam where she’s not yet reached the semi-finals. Can she change that this year? Of course she can. She has the talent, and by the looks of it the form too. But then sometimes she forgets how good she is and blows up. So much of it is in her head.
A good omen for Konta:
. @JohannaKonta is on 🔥 🔥 🔥First set 6/2. She has never lost in 3rd of a slam and it definitely looks like that streak will continue.
— Greg Rusedski (@GregRusedski1) August 30, 2019
Konta takes the first set 6-2
Konta is also close to a one-set lead, serving at 5-2 in front of a disappointingly sparse crowd on Grandstand. Though you probably can’t blame the spectators for wanting to find a bit of shade after that near three-hour contest between Alex de Minaur and Kei Nishikori. Konta doesn’t chose the best of moments to allow Zhang a first break point of the match at 30-40. Zhang leaves the court wide open by running around her backhand, allowing Konta to produce an easy forehand winner. Konta clubs another forehand winner on a second break point. And the British No 1 takes the set when Konta eclipses Zhang in a moonball exchange.
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Williams wins the first set 6-3
But back to the real Serena Williams, who has upped the intensity on Ashe to break Muchova ... before dropping it and allowing her opponent a chance to break back. But Williams’s trusty serve gets her out of trouble – is there a stronger shot in the women’s game? – and she holds for 5-3. Williams decides she doesn’t want to wait to serve this first set out, and charges to 0-30 on Muchova’s serve, the second point won when she gobbles up a Muchova slice. Make that 0-40, three set points. Williams absolutely wallops a return winner that leaves Muchova rooted to the cement! Wow. After a competitive first half of the set, Williams walked away with that.
The doubles events also get into full swing today after Wednesday’s washout delayed so many matches. Dan Evans must recover quickly from his humbling by Roger Federer, because he teams up with Cameron Norrie later. And fans are currently fighting for a spot on Court 5, where Coco Gauff and Caty McNally are getting under way in the women’s doubles. Qualifying for the junior events begins too, with plenty of fledgling Federers and wannabe Williamses looking to make a name for themselves.
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Last year’s semi-finalist Anastasija Sevastova is out, beaten 6-4, 6-3 by Petra Martic, who awaits the winner of Williams v Muchova. That match hasn’t quite caught fire yet, though Williams has had a couple more chances to break. It’s 3-3.
Konta is seeing the ball like a football right now but then just as I type that she hits a shot so wayward it’s probably landed in Flushing Bay. The great commentator’s curse. Zhang holds but Konta still seems so strong. She leads 2-1.
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Johanna Konta is under way on Grandstand against China’s 33rd seed Zhang Shuai and continues where she left off in yesterday’s 6-1, 6-0 destruction of Margarita Gasparyan with a blistering backhand return down the line for the break in the opening game. Wow. She couldn’t have hit that ball any truer. The British No 1 then backs up the break with a love hold. She’s looking inspired. Meanwhile Barty has served out the set for a 7-5 lead.
Ashleigh Barty is in a battle on Louis Armstrong, where at the business end of the first set she’s locked at 5-5 against Greece’s Maria Sakkari. The second seed, in the style of a true champion, decides it’s time to strike, stepping it up when she needs to to break to 15. The French Open winner will serve for the set.
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A double fault doesn’t stop Muchova from holding in the opening game, and then Williams responds with a hold to 15 of her own. Williams is looking pretty pumped early on, and is striding purposefully around the court to show she means business. Some rasping returns from Williams help her carve out a break point chance in the third game. Muchova’s serve dismisses the danger. Deuce. A wobbly Williams backhand into the net and it’s Muchova’s advantage. Muchova then pulls off the one-two punch to survive from break point down. Muchova leads 2-1.
Bringing the Grandstand crowd to its feet again. That's @alexdeminaur.
— US Open Tennis (@usopen) August 30, 2019
You think he's pumped? 😝#USOpen pic.twitter.com/6RONkziq1t
Even if it’s a rain coat rather than a dressing gown it’s still a bizarre choice of clothing given the unbroken sun overhead. But I digress. The six-times champion, who of course is still searching for that 24th grand slam title which would surely confirm her as the game’s greatest, is up against Karolina Muchova, of whom there is, erm, much to like. The 23-year-old Czech is rising up the rankings, currently at 44 having started the year at 144, and reached the Wimbledon quarter-finals last month.
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Here comes Serena. After two night matches, it’s her first taste of the day session this year. But she seems to have forgotten it’s not nearly bedtime because she’s wearing what looks a bit like a black dressing gown over her purple outfit.
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De Minaur breaks Nishikori to seal an impressive 6-2, 6-4, 2-6, 6-3 win. This kid is going places. And given that his next opponent will be either Grigor Dimitrov, who’s had a terrible year and only advanced to the third round courtesy of a walkover, or the world No 94 Kamil Majchrzak, he’s got a fantastic chance of reaching the quarter-finals, where he could face a certain R Federer.
At the 16th attempt, Alex De Minaur gets the first top 20 (and 10) win of his career, beating Kei Nishikori 6-2 6-4 2-6 6-3 to reach the US Open fourth round. Great summer for him.
— Tumaini Carayol (@tumcarayol) August 30, 2019
Meanwhile, Nishikori made 60 unforced errors.
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Serena Williams will be up next on Ashe. The only two singles matches currently in progress involve two Australians. Ashleigh Barty, who dragged herself out of a deep hole in the first round before looking more assured in the second, has an early break against the 30th seed from Greece, Maria Sakkari, leading 3-1. And Alex de Minaur looks to have repelled Kei Nishikori’s comeback. The young counterpuncher, who was once called “the future of tennis” by Daniil Medvedev, is a game away from reaching the fourth round of a slam for the first time, leading 6-2, 6-4, 2-6, 5-3.
Here’s Kevin Mitchell’s match report:
That was Federer’s best performance since letting it slip in that Wimbledon final against Novak Djokovic. So perhaps the hangover is easing. Here are his thoughts:
Different opponent, different day. I don’t know if that’s the reason but I’ve learned from my first two matches. I got my groove back. It was tricky with the sun, the shade and the heat. I got off to a good start and never looked back. It was a good performance. I played a tough one against him in Australia so I was expecting it to be more difficult. Danny’s got the shots. I though he looked a bit tired from yesterday. Maybe not the physical element, just the mental side of things.
Roger Federer back on song as he beats Dan Evans in straight sets. But still a good week for Evans, who will be back inside the top 50 (predicted to be No 47)
— Simon Cambers (@scambers73) August 30, 2019
Federer overwhelms Evans 6-2, 6-2, 6-1
Evans came agonisingly close to reaching the last 16 on his previous two third-round appearances here, almost ousting Tommy Robredo in 2013 and having a match point against Stan Wawrinka in 2016 before losing in five. But this is an entirely different story. Evans is broken for the seventh time ... and Federer completes the easiest of wins with a hold to 15 when Evans tugs his return wide. Evans is off court in double quick time, though he does smile to himself in the corridor. Or perhaps it was a grimace given that 79-minute shellacking. Federer, of course, soaks in the applause of the swooning crowd.
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News on tomorrow’s order of play:
The schedule for Arthur Ashe tomorrow is not bad:
— Tumaini Carayol (@tumcarayol) August 30, 2019
Wozniacki-Andreescu
Nadal-Chung
7pm
Osaka-Gauff
Rublev-Kyrgios
Third set: Federer 6-2, 6-2, 4-1 Evans* (*denotes next server)
Evans can’t build on that minor victory, and is promptly broken when he double faults to trail 3-1. Meanwhile Kei Nishikori’s fightback is in full swing. The seventh seed has taken the third set against Alex de Minaur to reduce his arrears to 6-2, 6-4, 2-6. Johanna Konta will follow on Grandstand, while Ashleigh Barty, the French Open champion, is warming up on Louis Armstrong following Pliskova’s win. Federer holds for 4-1.
Third set: Federer 6-2, 6-2, 2-1 Evans* (*denotes next server)
Back on Ashe, Federer and Evans are sticking to the script. Federer holds. Federer breaks. But look here, Evans has won his first points on Federer’s serve since the first set, breaking a run of 21 consecutive service points for Federer, and it’s 15-40! Federer fends off the first break point with an ace. Then on the second, Federer, striking from well within the court, has Evans pegged far behind the baseline ... but nets! Evans breaks for the first time but it’s likely to be a brief celebration for the battered Brit.
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Pliskova beats Jabeur 6-1, 4-6, 6-4
Since the first set, very little has been straightforward for Pliskova, but she’s in her serving groove here, and has two match points at 40-15. A big serve out wide ... and Pliskova goes back behind Jabeur to seal an unconvincing win. The former finalist will have to do better in the fourth round, where she could meet Konta.
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Elsewhere, Karolina Pliskova, the third seed, is close to coming through in a tortuous three sets on Louis Armstrong, where she’s about to serve for the match against Ons Jabeur, leading 6-1, 4-6, 5-4. And over on Grandstand, Johanna Konta may have to wait a while longer to get on court, because Kei Nishikori is fighting back against Alex de Minaur, trailing 6-2, 6-4, but 4-2 up in the third.
Federer wins the second set 6-2
Federer is reading virtually every Evans serve and he does so again for 0-15. The 38-year-old shows the speed of an 18-year-old to double his advantage to 0-30. And a strong second serve is dismissively dealt with by Federer for 0-40. The second set is soon his when Evans’s forehand flies long. Evans glances at his coaching box – not that he’s got a coach right now after splitting with David Felgate, Tim Henman’s former coach, before the tournament. He then mangles his racket at the changeover and gets a warning from the umpire for his efforts.
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Second set: Federer 6-2, 5-2 Evans* (*denotes next server)
This is exhibition tennis from Federer on serve. Another game flies by in the blink of an eye. A ball boy holds an umbrella over Federer at the changeover to shield him from the sun. But the GOAT doesn’t need any shade. He doesn’t even sweat when he’s being pushed, so he’s not going to be perspiring today. A brief delay before Evans serves to stay in the set because of an issue with the number of balls they’re playing with. That’s about Federer’s only problem right now.
Second set: *Federer 6-2, 4-2 Evans (*denotes next server)
Evans manages to take an early lead in his service game for the first time this set. 30-15. 40-15. But Federer flicks his wand and conjures up a backhand winner down the line. 40-30. Evans does at least hold from there, but at this stage this may be more about trying to keep the scoreline respectable than aiming any higher.
Second set: Federer 6-2, 4-1 Evans* (*denotes next server)
Bish. Bash. Bosh. Break. Four winners fly by Evans and Federer breaks to love, before backing it up with another four unanswered points. This is brutal.
Second set: Federer 6-2, 2-1 Evans* (*denotes next server)
Federer holds. But you already knew that, right? He’s dropped only six points on serve so far. And an ominous stat for Evans: he’s never taken a set off Federer before. That tight 7-6 (5), 7-6 (3), 6-3 defeat at the Australian Open this year was preceded by a 6-4, 6-2, 6-2 loss at Wimbledon in 2016.
RF2.0 looks like he completely righted the ship 🚢 from 1st 2 rds but extremely difficult for Evo to play back to back days and RF day off
— Brad Gilbert (@bgtennisnation) August 30, 2019
Second set: *Federer 6-2, 1-1 Evans (*denotes next server)
This is getting painful for Evans. Yet another quicker-than-quick hold from Federer is followed by another assault on Evans’s serve. 15-40, two break points for the first break of the second set. Evans saves the first. “COME ON, COME ON,” the anguished Brit screams, as he attempts to rouse himself into action. It works. 30-40, deuce, advantage Evans. Game Evans, when he comes out on top in a quick exchange at the net.
Alex de Minaur is well set for a place in the fourth round of a slam for the first time. The 20-year-old Australian is now two sets to the good, 6-2, 6-4, against the 2014 finalist Kei Nishikori.
Wow 😮 D-Minor 2sets to the good vs Special K the Ausie still looking for his 1st top 20 win 0-15
— Brad Gilbert (@bgtennisnation) August 30, 2019
When your allegiance is made pretty clear from the start...
— US Open Tennis (@usopen) August 30, 2019
😂👉 @rogerfederer#USOpen pic.twitter.com/ZTUm7nJpRX
Federer wins the first set 6-2
So you know what happens next right? A near-flawless Federer service game, followed by a perilous one for Evans, who slumps 0-30 down. Federer’s won eight of the past 10 points and is looking good to seal the set with another break. 0-30 turns into 15-40, two set points. Evans resists on the first but his forehand lands several feet beyond the baseline on the second, and that’s the first set wrapped up in 27 minutes. No wonder Federer counts Evans as a friend if this is the way matches between them go.
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More on the lucky loser poser:
Hi @KatyMurrells Lauren Davis was a lucky loser who made the third round at Wimbledon this year and beat a three time grand slam champion while doing it https://t.co/JMdWBhkgTu
— Richard Morris (@richardmorrisuk) August 30, 2019
First set: *Federer 4-2 Evans (*denotes next server)
Federer holds to 15. And with another Evans service game comes more break points, set up with a superb slice from Federer. There’s no Houdini act for Evans this time, as Federer flicks the pass beyond the Brit. Federer is looking so much sharper than he did at the start of his matches in the opening two rounds – perhaps that scar tissue from his Wimbledon final defeat to Novak Djokovic is healing.
Pliskova decides she’s had enough of messing around and gets herself back on serve against Jabeur, who had those two set points at 5-2. But then Pliskova takes her eye off the ball once more, and Jabeur has another three set points. On the fifth one, she takes it for 1-6, 6-4. They’re going the distance on Louis Armstrong, while on Grandstand, De Minaur still leads Nishikori by a set to love, 6-4. It’s 4-4 in the second.
First set: *Federer 2-2 Evans (*denotes next server)
Federer, after another straightforward hold, is making inroads into Evans’s serve. This is much better from Federer, whose Swiss timing was somewhat off in the first two rounds, when he went a set down in both matches. 0-15, 0-30, 0-40. Three break points. On the first, Evans cracks a forehand to Federer’s forehand, another to Federer’s backhand, decides to come in to the net, and rounds off a wonderfully constructed point with two excellent volleys. He shows superb hands at the net on the second break point too. And on the third Federer makes the error! Deuce. And from 0-40 down, Evans holds!
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Ons Jabeur, quite remarkably given the state of play only five games ago, has two set points to level her match against Karolina Pliskova, leading 5-2 in the second ...
First set: *Federer 1-1 Evans (*denotes next server)
We’ll focus on this match now, with a quick glance around the grounds when possible. With Arthur Ashe almost half covered in shade despite the midday sun – temperatures are forecast to hit 32 today – Federer starts with an easy hold to 15. But Evans, determined to disprove my previous point that Federer does everything that bit better, opens by holding to love. This humble game-by-gamer eats her words.
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Part of Federer and Evans’s bromance stems from the fact they both appreciate the artistic side of the game. And therein lies the problem for Evans. Because while he has similar attributes to Federer – an intelligent tennis brain, a one-handed backhand, a good slice and net play – Federer does all of those things just that bit better. OK, usually quite a lot better.
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Here comes Evans and his new best friend on to Arthur Ashe, a court Evans has never played on before. Evans is introduced to the crowd first, and gets his first glance of the biggest arena in tennis, as he squints up to the skies. Just to add to the occasion, Kobe Bryant is performing the coin toss.
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Chris Parker emails. “Is Paolo Lorenzi’s third round the furthest someone has gotten as a Lucky Loser in a Grand Slam? $131,000 prize difference between going out in the final qualifier and third round, lucky indeed.” After scrambling around in the online history books, the best slam performance I can find is Dick Norman, who made the fourth round of Wimbledon as a lucky loser in 1995, and Stephane Robert, who reached the fourth round of the Australian Open in 2014. But any other advances on that gratefully received ...
Pliskova is nowhere near the player she was in the first set and gives Jabeur not one, not two, not three, not four, but five chances to break. Jabeur just can’t pull the trigger, but eventually she does. They’re back on serve in the second set with Pliskova leading 6-1, 2-2. A tidy hold from the Tunisian, who has that right knee strapped, and she hobbles ahead, 3-2. But again she’s calling for the trainer and she seems to suggest there’s now something wrong with the other leg too.
Roger Federer is in the house. He and Evans will be on Arthur Ashe in just over five minutes’ time.
Good morning, @rogerfederer 👋#USOpen pic.twitter.com/2FHZUvcLED
— US Open Tennis (@usopen) August 30, 2019
The stands on Grandstand are nearing capacity with close to 40 minutes on the match clock, but the same cannot be said on Louis Armstrong, where a disappointing number of fans are watching Jabeur ailing and failing against Pliskova, who now leads 6-1, 2-1 with the break. Pliskova’s level has dipped but Jabeur, who is still struggling with injury, has not been able to take advantage.
Nishikori is on the board on Grandstand but still trails by a double break, with De Minaur serving for the first set at 5-2. Nishikori gives the Australian something to think about when he biffs a backhand winner down the line on the opening point. De Minaur then nets a Nishikori smash for 0-30. And soon it’s 0-40. Two unreturned serves save the first two break points. Nishikori then goes long when he should really do better. Deuce. Advantage De Minaur. Game and set De Minaur 6-2, who got himself out of a big hole there.
So often in the early rounds of slams Pliskova looks like a potential champion, before falling to unexpected defeats. To hit her with one of tennis’s greatest backhanded compliments, she’s one of the best players to have never won a major. Could this change this year? She’s in a tricky section of the draw, and could face Johanna Konta next, with Elina Svitolina, Madison Keys and Sofia Kenin also lurking in her quarter.
Jabeur is furious with herself when she gives the break straight back to Pliskova, who is now serving for the first set. Pliskova quickly has two set points at 40-15. On the first, Jabeur jabs a forehand into the tramlines, then chips her racket into the court and calls for the trainer. I think the trainer will have to give her something much stronger than some treatment to her right knee if Jabeur is to get back into this. Pliskova, as she did in the second round, looks formidable, leading by a set to love, 6-1.
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Good news for Juan Martin del Potro fans. The likeable and perennially unlucky Argentinian, who had yet another surgery in June, this time on a fractured right kneecap that forced him to miss the US Open, will be back in action next month:
I’m very happy to tell you that I’ll play in Stockholm and Vienna in October. These two tournaments are very special to me, as I had the chance to win both of them. See you there! #sthlmopen #so19 @IntrumSthlmOpen @ErsteBankOpen #ErsteBankOpen
— Juan M. del Potro (@delpotrojuan) August 30, 2019
After a game lasting 10 minutes De Minaur finally claims the double break over Nishikori when he shows his tremendous speed to not only get to a forehand but fire it back for a cross-court winner. It’s 3-0. And look here, Pliskova is break point down at 4-0, 30-40. A double fault from one of the finest servers in the women’s game and the Czech won’t be helping herself to a late-morning New York bagel. It’s 4-1.
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That said, De Minaur has zipped into a 2-0 lead and has a break point to make it 3-0. Nishikori punches away the volley for deuce but De Minaur comes straight back at the seventh seed for a second break point. It’s all going one way on Louis Armstrong too, where Pliskova is completely in control at 4-0, with Jabeur spraying the balls almost everywhere but into the court.
Meanwhile on Grandstand it’s Alex de Minaur v Kei Nishikori, in a match that could go on for hours. And hours. De Minaur, the Australian whippersnapper and scrapper, can battle with the best of them, much like his mentor Lleyton Hewitt, but can sometimes be outgunned. Nishikori, who reached the final back in 2014, has many talents but can also lack the weaponry to finish opponents off quickly.
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Pliskova is currently warming up on Louis Armstrong against Ons Jabeur of Tunisia. Jabeur is reaching for two firsts today: progressing to the fourth round of a slam and becoming the only Arab woman to have ever broken the top 50. If she can pull off an upset today she is assured of a place among the world’s elite.
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Karolina Pliskova, the Czech third seed who’s among the early runners and riders today, is talking on the telly. “For sure it’s different to all the other tournaments. It’s a little bit more fun here, so it’s more relaxed for me. I’m happy outside of the court which is most important, still enjoying my tennis, I’ve changed a couple of coaches since [reaching the 2016 final], I think my game is improving. This year has been so far the best for me.”
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Friday's order of play
(All local times, BST +5hrs)
Arthur Ashe Stadium
12pm (3) Roger Federer (Swi) v Daniel Evans (Gbr), (8) Serena Williams (USA) v Karolina Muchova (Cze)
7pm (20) Sofia Kenin (USA) v (10) Madison Keys (USA), (1) Novak Djokovic (Ser) v Denis Kudla (USA)
Louis Armstrong Stadium
11am Ons Jabeur (Tun) v (3) Karolina Pliskova (Cze), (30) Maria Sakkari (Gre) v (2) Ashleigh Barty (Aus), (23) Stan Wawrinka (Swi) v Paolo Lorenzi (Ita)
7pm (5) Elina Svitolina (Ukr) v (32) Dayana Yastremska (Ukr), Feliciano Lopez (Spa) v (5) Daniil Medvedev (Rus)
Grandstand
11am Alex De Minaur (Aus) v (7) Kei Nishikori (Jpn), (16) Johanna Konta (Gbr) v (33) Shuai Zhang (Chn), Fiona Ferro (Fra) v (18) Qiang Wang (Chn), Dominik Koepfer (Ger) v (17) Nikoloz Basilashvili (Geo)
Court 4
11am Madison Brengle (USA) & Ena Shibahara (Jpn) v Ekaterina Alexandrova (Rus) & Oksana Kalashnikova (Geo), (3) Gabriela Dabrowski (Can) & Yi Fan Xu (Chn) v Lidziya Marozava (Blr) & Katarina Srebotnik (Slo), (1) Timea Babos (Hun) & Kristina Mladenovic (Fra) v Jessica Moore (Aus) & Giuliana Olmos (Mex), Ons Jabeur (Tun) & Fanny Stollar (Hun) v (10) Lucie Hradecka (Cze) & Andreja Klepac (Slo), Danielle Collins (USA) & Ellen Perez (Aus) v (6) Samantha Stosur (Aus) & Shuai Zhang (Chn)
Court 5
11am Ricardas Berankis (Lit) & Juan Ignacio Londero (Arg) v Maxime Cressy (USA) & Keegan Smith (USA), (1) Juan Sebastian Cabal (Col) & Robert Farah (Col) v Pablo Cuevas (Uru) & Steve Johnson (USA), Cori Gauff (USA) & Catherine McNally (USA) v Julia Goerges (Ger) & Katerina Siniakova (Cze), Marcus Daniell (Nzl) & Kenneth Skupski (Gbr) v Marius Copil (Rom) & Nick Kyrgios (Aus), (5) Anna-Lena Groenefeld (Ger) & Demi Schuurs (Ned) v Alize Cornet (Fra) & Fiona Ferro (Fra)
Court 6
11am Shuko Aoyama (Jpn) & Aleksandra Krunic (Ser) v Rebecca Peterson (Swe) & Tamara Zidansek (Slo), Marcelo Arevalo (Esa) & Jonny O’Mara (Gbr) v Benoit Paire (Fra) & Mischa Zverev (Ger), (16) Raquel Atawo (USA) & Asia Muhammad (USA) v Daria Kasatkina (Rus) & Anett Kontaveit (Est), Adrian Mannarino (Fra) & Gilles Simon (Fra) v (3) Raven Klaasen (Rsa) & Michael Venus (Nzl), Desirae Krawczyk (USA) & Joe Salisbury (Gbr) v Hailey Baptiste (USA) & Jenson Brooksby (USA)
Court 7
11am Shuai Peng (Chn) & Alicja Rosolska (Pol) v (13) Darija Jurak (Cro) & Maria Jose Sanchez Martinez (Spa), Jennifer Brady (USA) & Alison Riske (USA) v Raluca Olaru (Rom) & Zhaoxuan Yang (Chn), (4) Pierre-Hugues Herbert (Fra) & Nicolas Mahut (Fra) v Rohan Bopanna (Ind) & Denis Shapovalov (Can), Margarita Gasparyan (Rus) & Monica Niculescu (Rom) v (8) Victoria Azarenka (Blr) & Ashleigh Barty (Aus), Daniel Evans (Gbr) & Cameron Norrie (Gbr) v Tim Puetz (Ger) & Jan-Lennard Struff (Ger)
Court 9
11am (9) Nikola Mektic (Cro) & Franko Skugor (Cro) v John-Patrick Smith (Aus) & Jordan Thompson (Aus), Bianca Vanessa Andreescu (Can) & Sharon Fichman (Can) v Whitney Osuigwe (USA) & Taylor Townsend (USA), Nicholas Monroe (USA) & Tennys Sandgren (USA) v Radu Albot (Mol) & Malek Jaziri (Tun), Guido Pella (Arg) & Diego Sebastian Schwartzman (Arg) v Alex De Minaur (Aus) & Matt Reid (Aus)
Court 10
11am Anna Blinkova (Rus) & Yafan Wang (Chn) v (4) Elise Mertens (Bel) & Aryna Sabalenka (Blr), (22) Petra Martic (Cro) v (12) Anastasija Sevastova (Lat), Jeremy Chardy (Fra) & Fabrice Martin (Fra) v (5) Jean-Julien Rojer (Ned) & Horia Tecau (Rom), (14) Lyudmyla Kichenok (Ukr) & Jelena Ostapenko (Lat) v Kateryna Kozlova (Ukr) & Anastasia Potapova (Rus), Simona Halep (Rom) & Horia Tecau (Rom) v (2) Gabriela Dabrowski (Can) & Mate Pavic (Cro)
Court 11
11am Denys Molchanov (Ukr) & Artem Sitak (Nzl) v (2) Lukasz Kubot (Pol) & Marcelo Melo (Bra), Kristie Ahn (USA) & Christina McHale (USA) v Hailey Baptiste (USA) & Emma Navarro (USA), Hubert Hurkacz (Pol) & Vasek Pospisil (Can) v (7) Bob Bryan (USA) & Mike Bryan (USA), Christina McHale (USA) & Ryan Harrison (USA) v (8) Kveta Peschke (Cze) & Wesley Koolhof (Ned), (4) Latisha Chan (Tpe) & Ivan Dodig (Cro) v Maria Jose Sanchez Martinez (Spa) & Neal Skupski (Gbr)
Court 12
11am Lauren Davis (USA) & Maria Sanchez (USA) v (2) Su-Wei Hsieh (Tpe) & Barbora Zahlavova Strycova (Cze), (6) Mate Pavic (Cro) & Bruno Soares (Bra) v Christian Garin (Chi) & Nicolas Jarry (Chi), (16) Oliver Marach (Aut) & Jurgen Melzer (Aut) v Mikhail Kukushkin (Kaz) & Andrey Rublev (Rus), (5) Nicole Melichar (USA) & Bruno Soares (Bra) v Su-Wei Hsieh (Tpe) & Cheng-Peng Hsieh (Tpe), Monique Adamczak (Aus) & Xinyun Han (Chn) v Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova (Rus) & Anastasija Sevastova (Lat)
Court 13
11am Anna-Lena Friedsam (Ger) & Laura Siegemund (Ger) v (15) Polina Kudermetova (Rus) & Galina Voskoboeva (Kaz), Dalila Jakupovic (Slo) & Sabrina Santamaria (USA) v Francesca Di Lorenzo (USA) & Ann Li (USA), Ying-Ying Duan (Chn) & Marcelo Demoliner (Bra) v Laura Siegemund (Ger) & Andreas Mies (Ger), Marco Cecchinato (Ita) & Andreas Seppi (Ita) v Pablo Andujar (Spa) & Fernando Verdasco (Spa), Karolina Muchova (Cze) & Jil Belen Teichmann (Swi) v Cornelia Lister (Swe) & Renata Voracova (Cze)
Court 14
11am (11) Kirsten Flipkens (Bel) & Johanna Larsson (Swe) v Viktoria Kuzmova (Svk) & Aliaksandra Sasnovich (Blr), Guillermo Duran (Arg) & Leander Paes (Ind) v Miomir Kecmanovic (Ser) & Casper Ruud (Nor), Alexander Bublik (Kaz) & John Millman (Aus) v Evan King (USA) & Hunter Reese (USA), Natela Dzalamidze (Rus) & Elena Rybakina (Kaz) v Maria Sakkari (Gre) & Ajla Tomljanovic (Aus)
Court 17
11am Bethanie Mattek-Sands (USA) & Coco Vandeweghe (USA) v Magda Linette (Pol) & Iga Swiatek (Pol), Pablo Carreno-Busta (Spa) v (15) David Goffin (Bel), Grigor Dimitrov (Bul) v Kamil Majchrzak (Pol), Kirsten Flipkens (Bel) & Edouard Roger-Vasselin (Fra) v Coco Vandeweghe (USA) & Maxime Cressy (USA)
And some post-match viewing. What a courageous performance that was from Taylor Townsend yesterday against Simona Halep:
This @TaylorTownsend interview - equally poignant and smart - should be mandatory reading/viewing: https://t.co/VC1Uc7mUFI
— Jon Wertheim (@jon_wertheim) August 30, 2019
Some post-match reading:
Some pre-match reading:
Preamble
At first glance Roger Federer seems to exist in a different stratosphere to Dan Evans. While Federer has collected 20 grand slams, 102 titles and $126m in prize money in an unrivalled and unbroken 21-year career, Evans, the 29-year-old British No 2 who returned to tennis last summer after a 12-month ban for a positive cocaine test, has never won an ATP tournament, has reached the fourth round of a major once and has career earnings totalling only 1% of Federer’s.
But these two have more in common than you think. After Evans pushed Federer in three tight sets at the Australian Open this year, Federer said it was like “playing in the mirror a little bit” and invited Evans to practice with him in Switzerland before the French Open.
“We talked about everything really,” says Evans, or “Danny” as he’s now called by the GOAT. “He was pretty open about life, what he does. Just open, normal chat. I didn’t ask him about my game.
“I have to go about my business and hopefully beat him. I have to think I can beat him otherwise there is no point. Since the first time I played him [at Wimbledon in 2016, their only other meeting] I think I am in a different place and he’s probably in a different place. I think I have got over: ‘It’s Roger and he’s impossible to beat.’ I have more belief going onto court.”
The unlikely pair will continue their bromance in the first match on Arthur Ashe, on a day when another GOAT and another Brit are also in third-round action. Serena Williams, after two consecutive night matches, gets her first taste of daylight, against the unseeded Czech Karolina Muchova, while Johanna Konta, after marmalising Margarita Gasparyan 6-1, 6-0 yesterday for the most comprehensive grand slam victory of her career, meets China’s world No 34, Zhang Shuai.
Ashleigh Barty, Karolina Pliskova, Stan Wawrinka and Grigor Dimitrov also play in the day session, while Kei Nishikori could find himself in a right old scrap against the young Aussie battler Alex de Minaur. Then this evening it’s Novak Djokovic (as long as he removes himself from the freezer he said he wanted to put his sore shoulder in for two days straight), Elina Svitolina, Sofia Kenin v Madison Keys in the battle of the in-form Americans, and Daniil Medvedev against the wily old Spaniard Feliciano Lopez, who’s appearing in his 71st consecutive slam. So Evans take heart: Federer isn’t quite the best at everything.
Play begins at: 11am local time/4pm BST except for on Arthur Ashe, which starts at 12pm/5pm.
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