US Open Day 6: Pliskova survives, Ostapenko out

Karolina Pliskova has advanced to the US Open fourth round for a second straight year after overcoming the challenge of Zhang Shuai.

It’s been a scratchy week so far in New York for the world No.1, and Saturday was no different; she needed two hours and 20 minutes to see off the Chinese 27th seed 3-6 7-5 6-4.

Zhang served for the match at 5-4 in the second and held a match point; she also led 2-0 in the third before Pliskova stormed back to win.

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Pliskova, who reached the US Open final last year, was also stretched to three sets in the second round against Nicole Gibbs, winning 6-4 in the third.

She next lines up against American Jennifer Brady for a place in the quarterfinals.

“I think I’m playing in quite big waves this tournament so far. So I think sometimes I think I play good shots, good rallies, and then there is hundreds of mistakes and not a good shot,” she said.

“In the second set, I thought, like, maybe she’s not going to serve it out. I just stayed in the game. Actually, she got a little bit tight, I think. She did the mistakes which she was not doing before. Only on the match point I played a good shot, but I think she helped me kind of get back to the match.”

Brady beat Romania’s Monica Niculescu in a third-set tiebreak.

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Pliskova and Zhang were the first match of the day on Ashe; the match that followed was just as tight.

American CoCo Vandeweghe, seeded 20th, fought her way to a three-set victory over No.10 seed Agnieszka Radwanska in a match lasting almost three hours.

In a battle pitting Vandeweghe’s crushing power against Radwanska’s guile, it was Vandeweghe who advanced to the last 16 with a 7-5 4-6 6-4 win.

“Aga is a really difficult player to play against,” said Vandeweghe, who game into the match having lost five of her six meetings with the Pole.

“She puts you in a lot of tough situations. You can second-guess yourself sometimes. I just tried to stay focused and regroup.”

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Vandeweghe, who’d never been beyond the second round at Flushing Meadows until this year, will now take on former world No.5 Lucie Safarova, who brushed aside Kurumi Nara for the loss of just five games.

The biggest upset of the day came when Russian Daria Kasatkina beat fellow young gun Jelena Ostapenko.

Ostapenko, the reigning champion at Roland Garros, had won 13 of her last 14 Grand Slam matches coming into her bout with Kasatkina, yet it was the Russian who eased to a 6-3 6-2 win.

Ostapenko was clearly less than impressed, offering Kasatkina a handshake that was condemned by fellow players on social media.

Classy. https://t.co/o07jlsWZdv

— Belinda Bencic (@BelindaBencic) September 3, 2017

Should be fined for unsportsmanlike conduct. There have been a few this week, they look ridiculous

— Naomi Broady (@NaomiBroady) September 2, 2017

Kasatkina, into the fourth round at a Grand Slam event for the first time, finds herself up against the resurgent Kaia Kanepi, who ended the run of Naomi Osaka.

Osaka beat defending champion Angelique Kerber in the first round but couldn’t stop the qualifier, falling to Kanepi – a former world No.15 – 6-3 2-6 7-5.

“This sucks,” said a teary Osaka in press.

Also advancing on Saturday was fourth seed Elina Svitolina, who has recorded her best US Open result with a 6-4 7-5 win over Shelby Rogers.

Having fallen in the third round the last two years, Svitolina will face the winner of Saturday night’s late match between Madison Keys and Elena Vesnina for a place in the last eight.