Fourth-seeded Karolina Pliskova mounted a robust defensive effort to send Russian Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova packing 7-5 6-4 within the fourth round of the U.S. Open on Monday, keeping on target her bid for a maiden major title.
The Wimbledon runner-up fired off seven forehand winners and converted on break point within the final game within the first set, before avoiding six of Pavlyuchenkova’s seven break point opportunities within the second set inside the Grandstand.
The Czech had lost within the pair’s previous two encounters – in Madrid this year and at the 2020 Australian Open – but wouldn’t be denied a fourth trip to the U.S. Open quarter-final as she came out on top during a 14-shot rally on the second-to-last point before breaking Pavlyuchenkova’s serve to shut out the match.
The world number four has put up an astonishing 58 aces thus far at Flushing Meadows this year, far and away the foremost of any of the remaining players, and next faces either Greek Maria Sakkari or Canadian Bianca Andreescu within the quarter-final.
Unseeded South African Lloyd Harris stormed into his first slam quarter-final with a crushing 6-7(6) 6-4 6-1 6-3 victory over American Reilly Opelka on Monday.
The 24-year-old Harris, whose previous best performance at a serious was his run to the third round of the Australian Open earlier this year, will next face fourth seed Alexander Zverev for an area within the semi-finals.
Harris, who dispatched seventh seed Denis Shapovalov in straight sets within the previous round, won a fantastic 92% of his first-serve points, smashing 36 aces and 62 winners to seize the initiative against Opelka.Harris pounced midway through the opening set to interrupt Opelka’s booming serve and take a 5-4 lead.