New Haven Register (New Haven, CT)
Fernandez beats Kerber to follow up upset of Osaka
NEW YORK — Raising her right fist overhead to celebrate shot after shot, 18-year-old Leylah Fernandez demonstrated that her upset of defending champion Naomi Osaka at the U.S. Open was certainly no fluke by beating another past title winner at Flushing Meadows.
With grit and guile, and a veteran’s poise in the face of a big deficit against a much more accomplished opponent, the unseeded Fernandez grabbed the last five games to beat 2016 champion Angelique Kerber 4-6,
7-6 (5), 6-2 in the fourth round Sunday in Louis Armstrong Stadium.
Just like against Osaka in Arthur Ashe Stadium two nights earlier, Fernandez dropped the opening set. Just like against Osaka, Fernandez trailed in the second set, too — this time, Kerber led by a break at 4-2.
But for the second match in a row on a big court, the 73rd-ranked Canadian got the crowd on her side, exulting each time she hit one of her on-the-run, impossible-angle groundstrokes. She’d pump a fist. She’d windmill her arms. And she got to do so repeatedly, ending up with a 45-28 edge in winners.
Fernandez is a left-hander who redirects opponent’s shots swiftly and seemingly with ease, sometimes dropping to a knee near the baseline to get the proper leverage. That’s a very similar style to the one Kerber used to reach No. 1 in the rankings and claim three Grand Slam titles.
Kerber has won more matches at the U.S. Open — and at all Grand Slam tournaments — than any other woman in the draw. She is 33 and playing well enough to get to the Wimbledon semifinals in July.
But she could not stay with Fernandez and seemed bothered by it, looking over at her guest box with arms spread apart while muttering something in the final game.
It wasn’t much earlier in the match that she seemed to be steadying herself and ready to push Fernandez in the third set. Indeed, Kerber held a break point with a chance to go up 3-1, but Fernandez erased that chance with a cross-court forehand winner.
Kerber wouldn’t claim another game.
She tried to make a final stand when Fernandez served for the victory. Kerber again got to break point, but Fernandez delivered an on-the-run forehand winner get to deuce. A corner-to-corner backhand that somehow extended a point before Kerber missed created a match point. And Kerber’s backhand into the net ended it.
Fernandez raised both arms, then leaned forward with her hands on her knees and smiled. She stood and patted her chest with her palm, while Kerber walked around the net to offer a clasp of hands and an arm around Fernandez’s shoulders.
Now Fernandez, who only once had been as far as the third round at a major tournament until now, will meet No. 5 seed Elina Svitolina in the quarterfinals.
Fernandez is among several fresh faces making moves at this most tumultuous of U.S. Opens, where the question at the start of each day has become, “Who will pull off a surprise?” — and there tend to be multiple answers by each night.
Consider Botic van de Zandschulp part of Sunday’s group. He’s a 25-yearold Dutchman ranked 117th who became just the third male qualifier to get to the quarterfinals at Flushing Meadows since the Open era began in 1968.
As it is, only nine seeded men made it to Week 2, the fewest at the U.S. Open since 2005, and van de Zandschulp reduced the total by one with a 6-3, 6-4, 5-7, 5-7, 6-1 victory over No. 11 Diego Schwartzman in 4 hours, 20 minutes.
“Before the tournament,” van de Zandschulp observed, “no one expected me to reach the quarterfinals here.”
Seems fair.
After all, he had a 2-3 career record in Grand
Slam matches until this tournament.
Now comes a tough test against No. 2 Daniil Medvedev, a two-time major finalist.