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Brady holds and is now in search of a break point to take the set. Wozniacki is serving but is behind at 0-30.
Yes please, Tiafoe. What a shot that is. He reaches this forehand with both feet off the ground and whips it from past an advancing Mannarino at the net. Tiafoe’s forehand is so wristy and flicky. It’s almost as if he’s playing it too close to his body so has to bend his elbow. Of course he knows what he’s doing and that end product is proof of that. He’s 2-1 up in the second.
Tiafoe takes the first game before Mannarino holds the second. 1-1 at the refurbished Louis Armstrong Stadium. Mannarino has this wonderful languid, almost lazy style. He doesn’t over hit the ball but caresses it. Tiafoe also has a delicate touch but is more bustling as he gets the ball. I’m enjoying this contest.
Shelton wins third set for a 2-1 lead. That one finishes 6-2 in favour of the American. A proper battle a the Grandstand.
Ostapenko once again breaks Pera and is within touching distance of the fourth round.
She leads the third set 4-1 and is currently serving. Pera must break here to stay in the contest.
Shelton a game away from a 2-1 lead. The American took the first set 6-4 but his sparring partner from Russia, Karatsev, claimed the second set 6-3.
Shelton has a golden opportunity 5-2 up. Karatsev is serving, but will have to pull a rabbit out of the hat to save this set.
Caroline Wozniacki – three years after retiring and having given birth to two children since then – is in action at Arthur Ashe.
She’s locked at 3-3 with the American Jennifer Brady. A dilemma for the home crowd. Support one of their own, or cheer on the feel-good story of the tournament?
How far can Caroline Wozniacki go in New York? Photograph: Mike Segar/Reuters
Mannarino takes the opening set, 6-4. After a marathon final game, the end came rather swiftly. Mannarino’s serve from the left to Tiafoe’s two-handed backhand is venomous. It was a pretty even set, with Mannarino winning 33 points to Tiafoe’s 31. But it’s the ones that count that matter.
Fourth deuce. My goodness, this game may never end. Tiafoe had the break point again but a perfectly drilled serve from Mannarino took us back level.
Tiafoe back at break point thanks to a whipping, dipping forehand. What a delicious shot that was.
Mannarino won’t be beaten so easily and volleys to the corner to take this game past the eight minute mark. Deuce again.
Advantage Tiafoe. Again Mannarino doesn’t clear the net and from a set point not long ago, we’re at break point.
Scratch that, an error and a groan means we’re back at deuce.
Frances Tiafoe misses out on the break. Photograph: Al Bello/Getty Images
Tiafoe takes it to deuce. Mannarino had a set point but his languid forehand doesn’t clear the net. A chance now for the American.
The crowd are on their feet and they’re cheering for Tiafo. He got a bit lucky there as he hit it straight at Mannarino at the net but the Frenchman overcommitted. He couldn’t manoeuvre his body and skewed the volley wide.
But again – aaaargh – Tiafoe makes an error and its 30-30.
A massive roar as Tiafoe takes the first point of the game. That’s on the back of a 26 shot rally. But then he leaves one short and all that good work is undone. 15-15. Mannarino serving for the set.
Ostapenko breaks Pera immediately. That’s a big moment on Court 17. The Latvian now has control of the decising third set.
Tiafoe holds his serve. But he needs to break now as he trails 4-5. When he gets it right he looks sensational. He is ranked 10th for a reason.
Mannarino is taking control of this first set. Tiafoe looks a little off the boil at times. Another wild hack at a return sees the ball spiral well wide of the tram. The American is 3-5 down.
Ostapenko takes the second set 6-3. Her match against Pera will go down to a third set decider. The winner gets the honour of playing Swiatek in the next round. Out of the frying pan etcetera…
Jelena Ostapenko returns a shot to Bernarda Pera during the second set. Photograph: Mary Altaffer/AP
Tiafoe has clicked into gear. He looks far more composed on this service game. He also sorts out his smash game and delivers a crushing winner to take the game.
But, he’s still behind the eight ball and trails 3-4.
Pera breaks Ostapenko. That was crucial for the unseeded American. She has the first set wrapped up at 6-4 but was facing a tricky situation at 2-4 down in the second. Now trailing 3-4, she has the chance to even the score on her serve.
Break point for Mannarino. After saving two break points in the previous game, the Frenchman delivers a devastating forehand winner to break Tiafoe’s serve and take a 3-2 lead in the first set.
Tiafoe misses an overhead smash. That was a real let off for Mannarino. Just too long. The Sky commentators are wondering if modern players are weaker on that shot compared to players of previous generations. It’s an intersting thought. I wonder why that may be.
Anyway, Tiafoe is facing a break point. He’s got to find his groove quick.
Mannarino holds. 2-2 in the first set.
Tiafoe within touching distance of an early break. But Mannarino holds his nerve to resist two break points and takes it to deuce. Tiafoe looked hesitant there while searching for that winner. Three points in a row means Mannarino has a chance to hold serve.
Maybe I’ve jinxed it for the Yanks. Ostapenko now has a 3-1 lead in the second set over Pera and is 40-30 for a 4-1 lead. Perhaps I spoke too soon.
There’s more joy for Americans as Ben Shelton is a set up against Aslan Karatsev [unofficially from Russia].
Shelton took the first 6-4 but is behind 2-4 in the second. Karatsev is serving as well so this one could be a long ol’ slog.
It’s been a good day for the Americans on home turf.
Paul’s win set the tone and Pera is following his lead.
Despite being unseeded, she took the first set against the 20th ranked Ostapenko 6-4.
But the Latvian is 2-1 up in the second.
I’ve just flicked over the match I was most looking forward to and that’s Tiafoe [10] against Mannarino [22].
The American won the first game and leads 1-0. Mannarino is up in the second game 30-15.
This’ll be a goodie.
I’ve been saying that Iga Swiatek and Kaja Juven were mates, but it turns out they’re tighter than that according the the number one player in the world:
“I didn’t like the fact that I was winning with my best friend, but I knew that I have to be really focused and not let myself think about that. It is literally like playing against your sister because we’ve known each other for so long.
“I don’t have many friends but she’s my best friend so that was the toughest part for sure.”
I’m sure another US Open win will ease Swiatek’s concerns after trouncing her bestie.
Tommy Paul beats Alejandro Davidovich Fokina 6-1, 6-0, 3-6, 6-3
An odd match ends with an ace. The fact that it took this long is a surprise after Paul raced to a two set lead but a comeback from Davidovich Fokina kept the American honest. But that resistance ended in the third set as Paul’s better work from the baseline and the Spaniard’s plethora of unforced errors proved the difference.
Tommy Paul is through in four sets. Photograph: Mike Segar/Reuters
Here’s an interesting stat I’ve just plucked from the BBC.
Only nine women have succesfully defended their US Open title in the Open Era. They are:
Margaret Court
Billie Jean King
Chris Evert
Martina Navratilova
Monica Seles
Steffi Graf
Venus Williams
Kim Clijsters
Serena Williams
Swiatek is on a quest to make it 10.
Davidovich Fokina has just slammed a volley at the net that bounced into row X. Paul’s return looped, and looped high, allowing Davidovich Fokina the time to let it bounce before whacking it for a game-winning point.
But Paul will have the serve. And at 5-3 up in the fourth set he’ll be doing so for the match.
Paul holds to move within a game of advancing. Davidovich Fokina has upped his game, but it’s too little too late. Tommy P watched another unforced error from the Spaniard hit the net and he gives a fist shake to the fans.
Swiatek’s next opponent will either be the 20th seed Jelena Ostapenko or the US’s Bernarda Pera. They’ve just started their match. To be honest, it will hardly make a difference who she plays if Swiatek reproduces her form from earlier.
Davidovich Fokina is clinging on, but unforced errors means he can’t get close enough to mount a serious challenge. As I finished that sentence (which I’ll keep because it’s true) he comes out on top of a quite magnificent rally with some wonderful strokes from the base before a clever drop. That makes it deuce in the fourth set, but he trails that 2-4.
Iga Swiatek beats Kaja Juvan 6-0, 6-1
The defending champion has trounced her best friend on tour with a staggering performance. She was barely tested, but then she hardly gave her chum a sniff. On she goes with tougher assignments over the horizon.
A quite astonishing performance from Iga Swiatek as the world number one beats Kaja Juvan 6-0, 6-1. Photograph: Brendan McDermid/Reuters
Swiatek two points away from a seamless win. She’s barely put a foot wrong. Unless I’m mistaken I think the commentator just said she’s made only four unforced errors. We haven’t yet reached 50 minutes.
Boom! Two match points after a thumping serve and finish.
Juvan is finally on the board. She won’t exit the third round without at least taking a game off her good friend. She will exit the third round, but at least she’s landed a blow. She’s 1-4 down in the second after losing the first 0-6.
Paul is on top once again. Maybe he needed a little jolt to get things back on track. A clinical service game starts and ends with an ace and he has a 4-1 lead in the fourth.
Paul with a break point. The crowd rises. They thought this would have been done by now but a comeback from Davidovich Fokina means they need to get behind their man.
It pays off. Paul breaks thanks to the third unforced error of the game from Davidovich Fokina.
Paul leads 3-1 and starts with an ace.
Swiatek is in a hurry. She’s just taken a 3-0 lead in the second. And it’s so simple. A big serve, a step forward, she coils her body as she clims with the bounce and unleashes a blistering forehand winner into the corner. Unstoppable. This match is not long for this world.
Davidovich Fokina is taking the game on now. An intersting graphic has just been shown on Sky’s coverage. In the first two sets the Spaniard was hitting behind the baseline almost 75% of the time. In the third set, which he won, that dropped to 62%.
Paul gets back to winning ways. After a break in play, and a chance for a refresh, the American takes the first game in the fourth set.
Flawless from the number one. 6-0 for Swiatek. 24 points to eight and only one unforced error. As one-sided as it comes.
Iga Swiatek loves those New York bagels. Photograph: Mary Altaffer/AP
He’s back! A back and forth rally ends with Davidovich Fokina playing a lovely drop at the net from his backhand. It balloons slightly but Paul, who has never lost a match after being two sets up, can’t reach it. The American still has a 2-1 lead, but that felt like a momentum shift.
Davidovich Fokina will serve for the third set. A simply remarkable turnaround. That’s a sign of immense character. Something was clearly off earlier in the piece but that’s a distant memory. Momentum is with the Spaniard.
4-0 now for Swiatek. She’s just so clinical. A thumping forehand and another on the back-peddle – a really good stroke, that – has her 15-0 up on her serve.
Swiatek races to 3-0 lead. So much for showing her good pal any mercy. Then again, you don’t climb to the top of your sport by playing nice.
Paul prevents the slide. Well, for now at least. A reminder that he won the first two sets against Davidovich Fokina 6-1, 6-0 but a fightback from the Spaniard has seen him procure a 4-2 lead in the third. Paul held his serve so could yet win the match in this set.
World number one Iga Swiatek gets underway against her best mate on tour, Kaja Juvan. The Pole has already raced (get it?) to a 2-0 lead in the first set.
Things are getting intersting on the main stage. Davidovich Fokina wins another one game and leads the third set 4-1. Paul looking a little unsure of himself for the first time in the match.
Alejandro Davidovich Fokina plays a blistering returns to Tommy Paul. Ooof. Photograph: Manu Fernández/AP
Davidovich Fokina has broken Paul. Now then. Maybe that comeback isn’t so far fetched. He’s leading the third set 3-1 and will now serve. Maybe, juuuuuust maybe.
Karolina Muchova was ice cool as she overcame Taylor Townsend. Here’s what she had to say:
“First point was to get to the tie-break because it was very tough. Taylor played very well at the net and when someone plays a similar game as I do, it is fun actually.
“I was trying to be focused on every point in the tiebreak and I’m glad it went my way.
“[Making the fourth round] was always a goal. It’s always in your head to be a top 10 player. I just really appreciate it and it’s nice that it happened and I’m trying to enjoy it.”
She closes the interview by saying she might catch a Boradway show or two.
Wang Xinyu beats Anna Karolina Schmiedlova 4-6, 6-3, 6-2
A comeback from a set down for the 21-year-old, she’s into the second week of a major for the first time. Excellent work that demonstrated her full range of strokes. What’s more, she looked like she enjoyed herself. She started smiling and relaxing and as she did so, she put on a show.
Davidovich Fokina wins the first game in the third. After losing the first set 1-6, and then the second 0-6, this would constitute one of the greatest ever comebacks in tennis history. I wouldn’t count on it, though.
But Wang holds! She’s 5-2 up in the third set. She kept her composure, delivered two inch perfect serves and kept Scmiedlova on the back foot. One game away from a best ever place in a grand slam.
English (United States) ·