Top Seed Karolina Pliskova Saves a Match Point to Move into the Round of 16 at US Open
(September 2, 2017) FLUSHING MEADOWS, NY – Top seed Karoina Pliskova has reached the fourth round. The Czech saved match point in the tenth game of the second set to beat China’s Shuai Zhang 3-6, 7-5, 6-4. She rallied from a break down in the third set. Pliskova was a finalist at Last year’s US Open, losing to Angelique Kerber.
Asked about how she turned the match around, match point down, Pliskova said:
“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.
“So I think I start pretty well today. If I come the first two games, I could have break — I had the break, but I could have 2-0, could be different story. I think she just played very well today. She was going for her shots.
“But I just, you know, 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.
“So I got it, not that I would really play something great — only on the match point I played a good shot, but I think she helped me kind of get back to the match.
“The third set was just tight and close about few points.”
Pliskova is one of three women remaining in the draw with a chance to be No. 1 at the end of the tournament. The other two are Spaniard Garbine Muguruza and Ukrainian Elina Svitolina are She play the winner of the match between American Jennifer Brady and Monica Niculescu.
Russia’s Daria Kasatkina disposed of 12th seed and French Open champion Jelena Ostapenko 6-3, 6-2. The Latvian went up 3-0 and Kasatkina won six straight games to win the first set 6-3.
The admitted that she was under the weather due to a problem with her throat.
“I was not feeling 100% today, was not feeling good already at the beginning of the day,” she said. Yeah, I couldn’t give my 100% today, like not my best.”
Kaia Kanepi came back from a break down in the decider to beat Naomi Osaka 6-3, 2-6, 7-5 to reach the round of 16 on Saturday. Naomi Osaka 6-3, 2-6, 7-5 to reach the round of 16 on Saturday.
NO. 20 seed, American CoCo Vadeweghe needed almost three hours to beat 10th seed Agnieszka Radwanska 7-5, 4-6, 6-4.
“Aga is a difficult opponent for me,” Vandeweghe said after just her second win over the former Wimbledon finalist. “I think for anyone really. And she poses a lot of problems. She gets a lot of balls back. She hits a lot of tricky shots.
“It was a tough-fought match. I can’t help but to be proud of myself for the way I competed and continued to fight out there. So I think in doing that, that gives me a lot of confidence.”
Osaka, who upset defending champion Kerber in the first round was disappointed with the loss.
“I think I stressed myself a little bit after playing Kerber, and I just had more expectations with myself.,” she said. “So I think the next Grand Slams, if I happen to beat a really good player, I’m just going to take that one match at a time and just play within myself.”
Former French Open finalist Lucie Safarova advanced to the fourth round with a straight sets win over Kurumi Nara, 6-3, 6-2.
No. 91, American Jennifer Brady has reached her second major round of 16, beating Monica Niculescu of Romania 6-3, 4-6, 7-6(3). Brady also reached the final 16 of the Australian Open.
“(The match) both fun and frustrating.” Brady said. “But, I mean, you know, I went into the match. I knew what to expect. It wasn’t like I was thrown off guard or anything like that. You know, I knew what was going to come at me.”
She’ll be playing the No. 1 player in Pliskova.
“It’s going to be a fun match. You know, it’s always an honor to play, you know, the players at the top of the game. Yeah, I’m just going to go out there and have some fun.”
I have never played a No. 1 player in the world,” Brady continued. “You kind of come back to reality and are, like, on paper, I’m not supposed to win this match.”
In men’s play so far on Saturday, after slow start after going down a break in the first set, the sixth seed Dominic Thiem of Austria defeated France’s Adrian Mannarino, the 30th seed 7-5, 6-3, 6-4. He saved nine out of ten break points faced. This will be the Austrian’s third straight year into the last 16, he has never progressed beyond this point at the US Open. This is his first year that he’s reached the round of 16 or better in all four majors.
“I didn’t get the best start,” admitted the Austrian. “I mean, the only break I got was in the first game, so it was a tight first set and could easily go in his direction. But, well, I threw everything into the last, into the game at 4-5, and luckily it worked out, and I think this was also the turning point in the whole match, because I broke him a little bit, also mentally, I guess, with this first set. It would be, I think, very complicated if he would have won it.”
Ninth seed David Goffin of Belgium advanced when 18th seed Gael Monfils retired trailing 7-5, 5-1. The Belgian is in the US Open fourth round for the first time.
“I’m really happy to be in the second week for the first time here in New York,” Goffin said. “But it was really special. It’s a match against a friend. I know Gaël pretty well, and it was not easy to see after the first set he was struggling with his knee, and, yeah, because the first set was with a high quality of tennis.
“So it was a great match in the first set, and in the second, I saw a little bit he was not running 100%, so it was tough to stay focused. Yeah, I hope his injury is not too serious and he will come back soon on the tour. At the end, I’m happy to be in fourth round for the first time.”
Juan Martin del Potro has reached the round of 16, the 24th seed and 2009 champion defeated 11the seed Roberto Bautista Agut 6-3, 6-3, 6-4.
“I think I played the best match of the tournament,” said a happy del Potro. “I hit so well my forehand. I serve well during the whole match. I play very smart with my slice.
“I came to the net very often, tried to be aggressive all the time, and I think I play well.”
“Bautista is very difficult guy to play. He has everything on his game and is never easy to beat one guy at level as him. I’m glad for my success.
“I’m looking to the next round. I’m looking for the South American people, am just representative myself, and doing my job, and I know many South American fans are behind me cheering for me, supporting me.
“It’s great to have one South American or two or more than two players in the last round.”
Alexandr Dolgopolov reached the fourth round destroying Viktor Troicki 6-1, 6-0, 6-4 in 82 minutes. The Ukranian’s match in the recent Winston-Salem Open is under investigation due to irregular betting patterns.
