RETURN VOLLEY
Sharapova advances, fires back at Wozniacki
>> NEW YORK: Maria Sharapova hit back at Caroline Wozniacki over a US Open scheduling row on Friday, saying of her bitter Danish rival: “I’m in the fourth round. I don’t know where she is.”
Wozniacki was furious that her second round match was played on an outside court while five-time major winner Sharapova was playing all of hers in Arthur Ashe Stadium.
The Danish woman said it was “unacceptable and questionable” for Sharapova, who is playing her first Grand Slam since the end of a drugs ban, to be given the showpiece court.
“With regards to scheduling, as you know, I don’t make the schedule,” said Sharapova after reaching the fourth round with a 7-5, 6-2 win over Sofia Kenin of the United States.
“I’m a pretty big competitor. If you put me out in the parking lot of Queens in New York City, I’m happy to play there.
“That’s not what matters to me. All that matters to me is I’m in the fourth round. Yeah, I’m not sure where she is.”
Wozniacki, who has never won a Grand Slam, lost her second-round match to Ekaterina Makarova on Wednesday after being scheduled on Court 5 before getting bumped up to Court 10.
“When you look on Centre Court, I understand completely the business side of things, but someone who comes back from a drugs sentence — performance enhancing drugs — and all of a sudden gets to play every single match on Centre Court, I think that’s a questionable thing to do,” fumed the Danish former world No.1.
Sharapova, t he champion i n New York in 2006, returned from a 15-month doping ban in April but was refused a wildcard for the French Open while injury ruled her out of Wimbledon.
Her world ranking of 146 meant she needed a wild card to get into the main draw at the US Open.
But she has responded to the decision by the US Tennis Association by knocking out world No.2 Simona Halep in the first round and recovering from a set down to beat Timea Babos in the second.
Today, she will face Latvian 16th seed Anatasija Sevastova for a spot in the quarter-finals.
But she will need to cut out the errors that plagued her against 18-year-old Kenin, a fellow Americabased player who was born in Russia.
She was broken t hree times and her 38 winners just offset 33 unforced errors.
“She had really nice words for me in the locker room, which was really nice,” said Sharapova, older than her opponent by 12 years and regarded as an idol by Kenin.
“I wasn’t surprised with the way she came out and competed. She was down I believe a few match points in the previous match.
“She’s a grinder. She’ll get many balls back. Despite not having the experience, she’s a tough player.”
Wimbledon champion Garbine Muguruza needed only 62 minutes to defeat Slovakian 31st seed Magdalena Rybarikova 6-1, 6-1 and continue her best US Open run as well as take command of the fight for women’s world No.1.
Only current No.1 Karolina Pliskova and fourth-seeded Elina Svitolina can deny Muguruza reaching the top spot for the first time.
“I’m taking every match as a final here,” Muguruza said.
Awaiting Muguruza next is Czech 13th seed Petra Kvitova, the 2011 and 2014 Wimbledon champion who defeated French 18th seed Caroline Garcia 6-0, 6-4.
US ninth seed Venus beat Greece’s 95th-ranked Maria Sakkari 6-3, 6-4.
“To win in straight sets shows I’m playing some good tennis,” Venus said.
CILIC KNOCKED OUT
A wide-open side of the men’s draw lost 2014 champion Marin Cilic on Friday.
Croatian fifth seed Cilic, idled after Wimbledon until this week due to an adductor strain, was eliminated 4-6, 7-5, 7-5, 6-4 by Argentine 29th seed Diego Schwartzman.
“[The injury] played a quite significant part, and just being injured and not being able to keep that good form,” Cilic said.
Cilic’s exit ensured a first-time Slam finalist will come from his draw half, which now lacks a top-10 player and has only one Slam semi-finalist, American Sam Querrey, who made it in July at Wimbledon.
“Everyone is improving,” Cilic said. “And you have a lot of youngsters coming up that are playing better.”
At just 5ft 7in (1.70m), Schwartzman struck a Grand Slam blow for the little guy by downing giant Cilic, a towering 6ft 6in (1.98m).
In a sport dominated by players over 6ft, Schwartzman, 25, insisted there is still room for the shorter man.
“I hope maybe they can understand tennis is for everyone. It’s not just for the tall guys,” said Schwartzman, the 29th seed who in 2016 lost in the first round of all four Grand Slams.
Schwartzman is into the last 16 of a Slam for the first time, where he will face France’s Lucas Pouille.
Canadian teen Denis Shapovalov advanced when Britain’s Kyle Edmund retired with a neck injury with the Canadian leading 3-6, 6-3, 6-3, 1-0.
Shapovalov will play against Spanish 12th seed Pablo Carreno Busta, who ousted French qualifier Nicolas Mahut 6-3, 6-4, 6-3.
The Spaniard, who has not dropped a set, will become the first player to face four qualifiers at a Grand Slam in the Open Era (since 1967).
With US 10th seed John Isner being ousted 6-4, 6-3, 7-6 (7/5) by German 23rd seed Mischa Zverev, Carreno Busta became the top remaining seed in his half of the draw. Zverev gets US 17th seed Querrey next.
Italy’s Paolo Lorenzi, 35, became the oldest player in the Open Era to reach a Grand Slam last 16 for the first time by defeating countryman Thomas Fabbiano 6-2, 6-4, 6-4.
Lorenzi next meets South African Kevin Anderson, who beat Croatian Borna Coric 6-4, 6-3, 6-2.