Sharapova out, holder Stephens exits in quarters
Maria Sharapova was knocked out of the US Open in the fourth round on Monday, losing 6-4, 6-3 to Spanish birthday girl Carla Suarez Navarro, who inflicted the Russian’s first ever night-time loss at the tournament.
Defending champion Sloane Stephens crashed out in the quarter-finals, losing 6-2, 6-3 to Latvian 19th seed Anastasija Sevastova on Tuesday.
American Stephens lacked the swagger she showed through the opening four rounds and wilted on the sun-baked Arthur Ashe Stadium court against Sevastova, who became the first Latvian woman to reach the semis.
Sharapova, the 2006 champion who was trying to reach the quarter-finals for the first time since 2012, hit 38 unforced errors and dropped serve six times.
The defeat ended the former world No 1’s perfect record of 23 wins — 22 of them on Arthur Ashe Stadium — in night sessions at Flushing Meadows.
Suarez Navarro, who celebrated her 30th birthday on Monday, was a quarter-finalist in New York in 2013.
“Maria has played here at night many times so I knew I needed to be aggressive, focussed and play solid,” said the 30th seeded Spaniard after clinching a second win in six meetings with Sharapova.
She will face
2017 runner-up Madison Keys for a place in the semis. “Madison is from United States so the crowd will be for her. I have played her a few times. She has a great serve and plenty of experience on this court.”
Sharapova, who won the last of her five Slams at Roland Garros in 2014, has endured a disappointing return to Majors since the end of her drugs ban in April 2017. She made the fourth round in New York last year, third round in Australia in January, quarter-finals in Paris before a first round exit at Wimbledon. Her loss to Russia’s Vitalia Diatchenko, the world No 132 at the time, at the All England Club was her first opening round Wimbledon defeat and earliest Grand Slam exit in eight years.
Keys made the last-eight with a 6-1, 6-3 win over Dominika Cibulkova. The other quarter-final in the bottom part of the draw will see Japan’s Naomi Osaka face Lesia Tsurenko of Ukraine.
Osaka, the 20th seed, made the last-eight of a Major for the first time by beating Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus 6-3, 2-6, 6-4.