US Open: World No.1 Iga Swiatek fends off Jessica Pegula to seal semi-finals spot
Swiatek had 22 winners in the clash to Pegula's 14, and she finished with only three more unforced errors than the American.
Swiatek had 22 winners in the clash to Pegula's 14, and she finished with only three more unforced errors than the American.
The match finished at 2:49 a.m., which has also set the record for the longest duration US Open match ever played.
In a two-hour, 26-minute encounter marred by rain, Rublev won 6-4, 6-4, 6-4, gaining crucial breaks in all three sets to emerge victorious.
Right from the start, the 21-year-old Italian felt out of place with 14 double faults and managed to put just 46 per cent of first serves into play.
Playing for a spot in the quarterfinals, the players kept coming back at each other to provide the spectators with an absolute spectacle of a match.
The top-ranked Swiatek was tested in the match but she stepped up during crucial moments to equal her best performance at the season-ending Grand Slam. The Pole had also reached the fourth round last year.
The 21-year-old, free-swinging Swiatek, a two-time Grand Slam champion, is showing signs that she might be prepared to reach such heights once more.
Despite being the second youngest player left in the women’s draw, 18-year old Gauff remains as one of the favorites to win the US Open title along with top-ranked Iga Swiatek.
On Wednesday at Arthur Ashe Stadium, Williams defeated World No. 2 Anett Kontaveit 7-6(4), 2-6, 6-2 in front of yet another boisterous, uproarious record crowd.
This was Nadal’s first US Open Match since he clinched the Grand Slam title back in 2019.
