Mixed results for Canadian men at U.S. Open
Raonic prevails to reach 4th round, but Shapovalov bounced by No. 5 Anderson
NEW YORK (CP) — Canadian teenager Denis Shapovalov is out of the U.S. Open, while veteran Milos Raonic is moving on to the fourth round.
The 19-year-old Shapovalov dropped a hard-fought, five-set loss in the third round to No. 5 Kevin Anderson on Friday.
In a night match, his compatriot Raonic topped 2016 U.S. Open champ Stan Wawrinka in straight sets 7-6 (6), 6-4, 6-3.
Anderson took control against Shapovalov in the fifth set with an early break and went on to a 4-6, 6-3, 6-4, 4-6, 6-4 victory, setting up a fourth-round meeting with ninth-seeded Dominic Thiem.
While Shapovalov showed a lot of emotion on the court — fist-pumping and yelling after scoring on audacious backhand shots and throwing his racket in frustration after surrendering key points — the experience and imposing serve of the 6-foot-8 South African proved too much to overcome.
“It’s a couple points here and there. Like I said, it was a close match,” said Shapovalov. “I had a lot of chances to break back, wasn’t able to do it today. He served big when he needed to, played unbelievably big. Yeah, it was a great match.
“We were both really happy with our tennis. It’s great to be out there. Yeah, obviously it’s disappointing to lose, but a lot of positives from it,” he added.
Still, Shapovalov, from Richmond Hill, Ont., showed flashes of brilliance in the loss, particularly in the fourth set when he had the crowd on their feet as he broke Anderson in the deciding game.
Shapovalov battled in the fifth set when he fought off four match points en route to winning the ninth game, but Anderson held Shapovalov to love in the deciding game to take the match.
The Canadian prodigy said his game has grown in leaps since his run to the fourth round of the U.S. Open in 2017.
“I feel like I’ve come back here — from last year, it’s been a year now — and I feel like such a different player,” said Shapovalov. “I feel like I’ve improved so much in my game, mentally. I just feel like I belong out there this year. I’m able to compete with anyone out there, as I showed today. I feel like my game’s at a different level.”
Raonic of Thornhill, Ont., meanwhile, is now the only Canadian left in the singles competition. He’ll take on No. 11 seed John Isner of the U.S. in the fourth round.
Raonic cruised to victory over Wawrinka in a match that lasted a little over two hours.
The 27-year-old launched 14 aces and won 87 per cent of points from his first serve. Raonic also fired 43 winners and had 27 unforced errors.
Wawrinka had 29 winners, 28 unforced errors and was unable to break the hard-serving Raonic for the duration of the match.
Vasek Pospisil, who was raised in Vernon but now resides in Vancouver, and Peter Polansky, of Thornhill, Ont., previously lost.
NEW YORK (AP) — Serena Williams kept booming big shots for winners, never allowing herself to feel sorry for the overmatched player on the other side. So what if it happened to be her big sister? The Williams sisters, long ago in careers that have spanned 20 years and 30 meetings as professionals, learned they had to view each other only as opponents — and in Serena’s eyes, Venus is the best one she’s ever played.
“Even though it’s difficult, especially for me,” Serena said, “we just do the best that we can.”
On Friday, it was perhaps the best she’s ever done against Venus.
Serena equaled her most-lopsided victory against her sister with a 6-1, 6-2 rout in the third round of the U.S. Open.
“It’s not easy,” Serena said, despite how easy it looked in a match that lasted just one hour, 12 minutes.
Serena shook off an early ankle injury to win seven straight games and seize control in perhaps her most dominant performance since giving birth to her daughter a year ago.
The sisters’ earliest meeting in a Grand Slam tournament in 20 years was over early, with Venus unable to do anything to blunt Serena’s power, even after the fans that were part of Friday’s single-day record crowd of 70,162 tried desperately to get behind her with pleas of “Come on, Venus!” early in the second set.
“I think it’s by far the best match I ever played against her in forever,” Serena said. “But I don’t know about ever, ever. It probably was. I played much better tonight than I have since I started this journey on my way back.”