Defending champ Stephens knocked out of U.S. Open

NEW YORK — First, there were four break points squandered, along with an early chance for the lead. Next, three more wasted.

Pretty soon, Sloane Stephens’ run at a U.S. Open repeat was lost too. The defending champion was eliminated Tuesday, falling to Anastasija Sevastova 6-2, 6-3 in the quarterfinals.

“I didn’t play the big points well,” Stephens said. She beat Sevastova in the same round last year en route to her first Grand Slam title, but she missed numerous chances to grab an early lead in the rematch. Sevastova, a No. 19 seed from Latvia, will play either Serena Williams or 2016 U.S. Open runner-up Karolina Pliskova in her first Grand Slam semifinal.

Stephens seemed to lack her usual sideline-to-sideline court coverage in the heat. She said she had been battling a cold, but her biggest problem might’ve been her serve. The No. 3 seed was broken five times in the 84-minute match.

Williams could still give the U.S. at least one women’s semifinalist after Stephens won an all-American final four last year.

Late Monday: Roger Federer lost at the U.S. Open by an opponent ranked outside the top 50 for the first time in his career. Looking slow and tired, the No. 2-seeded Federer double-faulted 10 times, failed to convert a trio of set points and lost 3-6, 7-5, 7-6 (7), 7-6 (3) in the fourth round to John Millman in a match that began Monday and concluded at nearly 1 a.m. on Tuesday.

It’s only the second time in Federer’s past 14 appearances at the U.S. Open that he’s lost before the quarterfinals. He is a five-time champion at the tournament, part of his men’s-record haul of 20 Grand Slam titles.

The other quarterfinal on the bottom half of the draw is a rematch of the 2014 U.S. Open final: No. 7 Marin Cilic against No. 21 Kei Nishikori.

Davis Cup: With his top singles player unavailable, U.S. captain Jim Courier brought doubles stalwart Mike Bryan out of Davis Cup retirement for the semifinals.

Bryan was part of the lineup Courier selected Tuesday for the matches in Croatia from Sept. 14-16. John Isner won’t travel with the Americans because his wife is due to give birth to the couple’s first child this month.

“There’s no question that John would have been valuable for us if he was available, but to miss the birth of your first child would not be a good lifetime decision,” Courier said. The rest of the U.S. roster includes Jack Sock, Sam Querrey, Steve Johnson and rookie Frances Tiafoe.

Mike and Bob Bryan retired from Davis Cup competition in 2016 after a 24-5 record. Mike won two other matches without his twin brother and is the Americans’ career leader in Davis Cup doubles victories. Bob injured his hip this year and Mike has since been teaming with Sock, winning the Wimbledon title.

The matches will be played on an outdoor clay court in Zadar. Croatia, led by 2014 U.S. Open champion Marin Cilic and 21-year-old Borna Coric, is 4-0 against the U.S. — the only country the U.S. team has never beaten. Spain and France meet in the other semifinal.