WTA US Open: Andreescu tops Wozniacki. Townsend, Mertens and Ahn advance
The 19-year-old Bianca Andreescu is making her debut at the US Open this year although she is far from the regular teenager in the draw. After winning Indian Wells and Toronto, Bianca is among the title favorites in New York as well, passing the third round with a 6-4, 6-4 triumph over Caroline Wozniacki in an hour and 33 minutes. Both players struggled on the second serve but Bianca was the better player overall, covering the net beautifully and hitting 27 winners and 34 unforced errors to keep the points on her racquet, halting Caroline on 13 winners and 18 unforced errors and breaking the Dane six times from 16 opportunities! Wozniacki gave her best to stay in touch with the better-ranked opponent, coming back a few times but staying on four breaks from five chances, failing to reach the fourth round for the fourth time in the last five years.
They kicked off the match with back-to-back breaks and it was Andreescu who delivered another one at 3-3, holding after three deuces in the next game and closing the set with a hold at 15 in game ten for a 6-4. The youngster opened a 3-0 advantage in the second set, only to lose the next three games to bring Caroline back in contention and waste another lead at 4-3, allowing the Dane to pull the break back and level the score at 4-4. Nonetheless, the Canadian claimed eight of the last nine points to seal the deal and advance into the last 16, still looking strong despite not being at 100% physically. After toppling Simona Halep, Taylor Townsend took down Sorana Cirstea 7-5, 6-2 in an hour and 27 minutes for the best result at Majors in a career. The American rushed to the net more than 70 times and hit 30 winners and 14 unforced errors, fending off seven out of nine break points and converting five chances on the return to cross the finish line first and set Andreescu clash.
The Romanian led with a break twice in the opening stages of the match, with Taylor bouncing back and fending off three break chances in the sixth game to level the score at 3-3. From 5-4 down, the American won 12 of the last 14 points to steal the set 7-5 thanks to a break at love at 5-5, building the momentum ahead of the second set where she opened a 5-2 lead with breaks in games one and seven. Serving for the victory, Townsend fended off a couple of break chances in game eight to seal the deal and move into the last 16 for the first time in New York. The 25th seed Elise Mertens is through to the last 16 at the US Open for the second year in a row, beating Andrea Petkovic 6-3, 6-3 in an hour and 12 minutes. The Belgian landed 26 winners and 18 unforced errors, dropping serve twice and stealing half of the return points for five breaks, controlling the scoreboard all the time to march into the next round.
Mertens grabbed two breaks at the beginning of both sets to settle into a comfort zone and bring the match home from there, hoping to take another step forward and advance into the quarters. Kristie Ahn had the opportunity to make the US Open debut in 2008 at the age of 16, never competing at the home Major again in singles before this week! The Flushing Meadows native has taken the wild card with both hands, ousting Jelena Ostapenko 6-3, 7-5 in an hour and 48 minutes for the place in the last 16, taking six points more than her rival and prevailing with four breaks fo serve against two that Ostapenko produced. The Latvian was the more aggressive player but made too many errors in the end, staying in touch in set number two before Kristie won the last three games to cross the finish line and give the crowd something to cheer about.
from Tennis World USA https://ift.tt/2MNQqBk
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