Sharapova wins clash of the wildcards Cilic shown the door in 3rd round
US OPEN Russian tennis star reaches last 16 by steamrolling the US opponent 75, 62 in round three at Flushing Meadows
Maria Sharapova rolled into the last 16 at the US Open by overpowering US teen Sofia Kenin.
Former world number one Sharapova, the 2006 US Open winner in her first Grand Slam since serving a 15-month doping ban, downed the 139th-ranked wildcard 7-5, 6-2 and moved into a fourth-round clash with Latvian 16th seed Anastasija Sevastova.
Five-time Grand Slam champion Sharapova, who tested positive for the blood booster meldonium at the 2016 Australian Open, reached the round of 16 for the 14th time in 15 Slams since the 2011 US Open.
Sharapova, who returned from her ban in April, was snubbed for a wildcard in the French Open and injured for Wimbledon but was given a US Open wildcard despite playing only one hardcourt tuneup match due to a forearm injury.
The 30-year-old Russian broke Kenin with a forehand winner after 66 minutes to swipe the first set, exchanged early second-set breaks on double faults then broke again in the sixth and last games for the victory.
“She came out and had nothing to lose so I’m really glad I got through,” Sharapova said.
Sharapova blasted eight aces and 38 winners with 33 unforced errors while Kenin hit only seven winners in the match. Playing her first grand slam since the 2016 Australian Open, having tested positive for a banned substance at Melbourne Park last year, Sharapova was challenged but passed the test.
Next up for Sharapova is 16th seed Anastasija Sevastova, who beat Donna Vekic 6-2 6-3.
Marin Cilic suffered a shock third-round loss at the US Open as teenager Denis Shapovalov continued his run in New York.
Cilic’s surprise defeat at the hands of Diego Schwartzman means there will be a first-time grand slam finalist in the men’s draw. Shapovalov, 18, remained on track to potentially grab the chance after Kyle Edmund retired during their clash, which the Canadian was leading.
Meanwhile, Mischa Zverev was too good for John Isner and Borna Coric exited, while seeds Sam Querrey and Lucas Pouille reached the last 16.
With Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal on the other side of the draw, fifth seed Cilic was the highest remaining seed in the bottom half – until Friday. The 2014 champion went down to Schwartzman 4-6 7-5 7-5 6-4 to make his earliest exit since 2011 at Flushing Meadows. Schwartzman, into the fourth round of a major for the first time, next faces Pouille after the French 16th seed overcame Mikhail Kukushkin 2-6 6-3 6-4 6-4.
The teenager is playing in the main draw of a major for just the second time, and his run continued as Edmund retired with a neck injury with Shapovalov leading 3-6 6-3 6-3 1-0.
It was in a match against the Brit that Shapovalov had an infamous moment earlier this year, when he smashed a ball and hit a chair umpire in the eye in the Davis Cup. But he has a chance to make a name for himself for the right reasons, with Pablo Carreno Busta awaiting him in the fourth round after the Spaniard’s 6-3 6-4 6-3 victory over Nicolas Mahut.
SHARAPOVA BLASTED EIGHT ACES AND 38 WINNERS WITH 33 UNFORCED ERRORS WHILE KENIN HIT ONLY SEVEN WINNERS IN THE MATCH.