NEW YORK (AP) — Naomi Osaka and Iga Swiatek rolled into the quarterfinals at the U.S. Open, showing off what once made each of them the top-ranked women's tennis player in the world.
Osaka dominated Coco Gauff 6-3, 6-2 in their highly anticipated showdown Monday in Arthur Ashe Stadium. Swiatek rallied from down 3-1 in the first set to beat Ekaterina Alexandrova 6-3, 6-1.
“At the beginning, I felt like she was playing really fast,” said Swiatek, who is seeking her second U.S. Open title and seventh in a Grand Slam. “I wanted to find my rhythm, but later on I really felt like I was in my bubble and in my zone.”
Osaka, in the quarterfinals at a major for the first time since 2021, is set to face No. 11 Karolina Muchova of the Czech Republic for a spot in the semifinals. Up next for Swiatek is either American Amanda Anisimova or Beatriz Haddad Maia of Brazil.
“The girls play late, so there’s no point now for me to overthink who I’m going to play,” Swiatek said. “I’m just going to see who wins, and that’s it. I’ll prepare.”
Rublev is out of the US Open
On the men’s side, 25th-seeded Canadian Felix Auger-Aliassime advanced by defeating Andrey Rublev 7-5, 6-3, 6-4 in a match in Arthur Ashe Stadium that took just over two hours.
Auger-Aliassime won for just the second time in nine career matches against Rublev, the No. 15 seed who slammed his racket after losing a point in the second set.
"As I won the first set, I felt like I was in control of the match," said Auger-Aliassime, who at age 25 is in the quarterfinals of a Grand Slam tournament for the fourth time. ”Good win considering our head-to-head, considering how good he is as a player."
What else happened at the US Open on Monday?
Alex de Minaur of Australia and Lorenzo Musetti of Italy advanced to the quarters by winning in straight sets. De Minaur is set to play Auger-Aliassime next. Venus Williams and Leylah Fernandez advanced to the quarterfinals of women's doubles by beating the 12th-seeded duo of Ekaterina Alexandrova and Zhang Shuai.
Who is on Tuesday's schedule at the US Open?
Second-ranked Carlos Alcaraz faces Jiri Lehecka in one men's quarterfinal. It's American Taylor Fritz against four-time U.S. Open champion Novak Djokovic in the other, with the winners meeting in the semifinals Friday. In the women's quarterfinals, Jessica Pegula plays Barbora Krejcikova, and top-seeded Aryna Sabalenka goes up against Marketa Vondrousova.
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AP tennis: https://apnews.com/hub/tennis
Stephen Whyno, The Associated Press
