Ostapenko sent Swiatek flying out of the US Open fourth round 3-6, 6-3, 6-1.
The 2017 RG champ led the head to head 3-0 going into the match. Playing with confidence and belting flat, heavy strokes, she took charge of the match late in the second and steamrolled the third. Ostapenko had a slight waver serving for the match at 5-0 but in the next game she attacked the Swiatek service, broke the top seed and sealed the upset.
Ostapenko faces Gauff in the quarters. The American beat Wozniacki in three. Gauff was in control of the match until the second set when Wozniacki made a match of it, taking the second and leading by a break in the third. The Dane seemed a little shocked by what she was achieving in only her third event back and errors, once unfathomable for the former No.1, leaked into her game.
Gauff won the next six games to take the match. On her way, she told her coaching box to be quiet. In her post match interview, she said she likes to figure things out for herself. It’ll be interesting to see if the constant chants of ‘Make it physical, she’s tired’ will now cease.
In the other quarter final, Muchova will face Cirstea. The RG runner up beat Wang in three. Cirstea reached her first slam QF since RG ’09, defeating an irritable Bencic in straights.
In the men’s, Shelton upset a strangely subdued Paul (14) in four sets. He now faces Tiafoe, conqueror of Hijikata.
Fritz defeated Stricker in a match in which both men needed on court medical assistance. Three sets was enough for the American to line up a quarter final match with Djokovic who straight setted Gojo.
Perhaps the most monumental event that occured happened off-court – Sabalenka became No.1, the 29th woman to do so. She can send Ostapenko flowers.
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