MARIA’S RETURN
Little-known Latvian 16th seed puts stop to Russian’s first major since 15-month ban
NEW YORK December, showed similar fighting spirit that won her the Birmingham title this year as she dismissed the third seed 7-6(3) 6-3 in one hour and 45 minutes.
The twice Wimbledon champion, playing in only her eighth tournament since her careerthreatening injury, set up a last eight clash with Venus Williams after the American dumped out Spaniard Carla Suarez Navarro 6-3 3-6 6-1.
Venus has reached grand slam finals at the Australian Open and Wimbledon this year and Petra said she would have a tough task ahead.
“It will be a great match for me to step on Ashe again probably and play there.
“I mean, we always had tough battles. I will try my best. I mean, she has a big serve, big server of course,” she said.
Wildcard Maria, who played in her first major since a 15-month doping ban, said there were a lot of positives in her defeat by Anastasija.
“Just competing, you know, being in that competitive environment. That’s what I missed,” she said.
Maria’s power play was nullified by the 16th seed’s control and delicate touch, and she eventually ground out a 5-7 6-4 6-2 win in two hours and 16 minutes.
Anastasija meets the unseeded Sloane Stephens after the American reached the quarter-finals for the first time in her career with a 6-3 3-6 6-1 win over Julia Goerges of Germany.
Sam Querrey, the last American standing in the men’s singles, powered past Germany’s Mischa Zverev 6-2 6-2 6-1 in one hour and 15 minutes, the shortest completed men’s singles match of the tournament so far.
Next up for Querrey, the first American man to reach the U.S. Open quarter-finals since 2011, is South Africa’s 28th seed Kevin Anderson, who outlasted Italian Paolo Lorenzi 6-4 6-4 6-7(4) 6-4.
Canadian teenager Denis Shapovalov was knocked out by Pablo Carreno Busta 7-6(2) 7-6(4) 7-6(3) and the Spaniard was joined in the last eight by Argentine Diego Schwartzman who downed 16th seed Lucas Pouille of France 7-6(3) 7-5 2-6 6-2. Reuters