By Rohith Nair
(Reuters) – Three Americans are in the mix, including Emma Navarro, as the U.S. Open enters the business end of the tournament on Tuesday with the first set of quarter-finals at Arthur Ashe Stadium.
With former champions Novak Djokovic and Carlos Alcaraz exiting early, the men’s draw was blown wide open, and Americans Frances Tiafoe and Taylor Fritz will fancy their chances.
Women’s second seed Belarusian Aryna Sabalenka will have her work cut out when she takes on China’s Olympic champion Zheng Qinwen while Navarro will hope to continue her dream run having knocked out defending champion Coco Gauff.
TOP WOMEN’S MATCH: BADOSA V NAVARRO
Paula Badosa may be flying the Spanish flag but she was born in New York, as was her quarter-final opponent Navarro whose aggressive and confident approach helped her stun Gauff in the fourth round.
Badosa has been on a commendable run after her return from injury, with her back finally responding well enough for her to win a first title in two years in the U.S. swing before battling her way to the quarter-finals, earning a first match on Ashe.
“I had the talent and I knew I could get back to the top. I just needed my physical part to respond. The mental (part) and the tennis was there,” she said.
“So it’s finally working really well these couple of months. I think the work is paying off.”
Navarro passed her debut on Ashe with flying colours to oust Gauff and will now get another opportunity to compete in the arena as the 13th seed seeks her first Grand Slam semi-final.
“We played each other in Rome earlier this year on clay. She beat me there. But I think it’s definitely valuable to have played on Ashe once. I hope to have the American fans behind me,” she said.
TOP MEN’S MATCH: TIAFOE V DIMITROV
After three straight sets victories, Grigor Dimitrov was tested in the last-16 by Russian sixth seed Andrey Rublev before the Bulgarian came out on top in five sets.
He has fond memories of making the quarter-finals in 2019, when he beat Roger Federer in five sets and the 33-year-old, the oldest player left in the draw, has banked on his experience in the crucial points to get this far.
“Everyone knows how to play great tennis, it comes down to a few points here and there and that’s what actually happened (against Rublev),” Dimitrov said.
“For me it’s another match. Clearly he (Tiafoe) has been playing great tennis here, building great confidence the past three weeks, playing well in Cincinnati (where he reached the final), winning some great matches out here.”
Tiafoe has seen a remarkable improvement in form midway through the year which coincided with hiring David Witt as his coach, with the 26-year-old saying making “tough decisions” has worked wonders as he looks to reach the semi-finals again.
“I think it’s huge to have the right people around you. I have great people around me,” he said.
“… Put the right people in place for me to start doing well, having those tough conversations. Even if I don’t want to have them, have them.”
U.S. OPEN ORDER OF PLAY ON TUESDAY
ARTHUR ASHE STADIUM (1600 GMT/12 PM ET)
26-Paula Badosa (Spain) v 13-Emma Navarro (U.S.)
12-Taylor Fritz (U.S.) v 4-Alexander Zverev (Germany)
NIGHT SESSION (2300 GMT/7 PM ET)
7-Zheng Qinwen (China) v 2-Aryna Sabalenka (Belarus)
9-Grigor Dimitrov (Bulgaria) v 20-Frances Tiafoe (U.S.)
(Reporting by Rohith Nair in Bengaluru; Editing by Ken Ferris)
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