Tag Archives: Flushing Meadows

Carla Suárez Navarro Upsets Caroline Garcia to Reach US Open Fourth Round

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Carla Suárez Navarro is back in familiar territory at the US Open..

The 29-year-old Spanish tennis player, seeded No. 30 at Flushing Meadows, fought through a challenging match against No. 6 seed Caroline Garcia, for a 5-7, 6-4, 7-6 (4) victory, and earned a spot in the fourth round of the US Open once again.

Carla Suárez Navarro

“It was really tough,” Suárez Navarro admitted to the press, after the match. “I was a break up in the first set, but I didn’t take my serve then. But every point, every game was so close.”

Suárez Navarro, a US Open quarterfinalist in 2013, has now reached the fourth round in New York for the fifth time in her career, following the nearly two-and-a-half-hour marathon win over Garcia, which was Suárez Navarro’s first win over the French-Latina in their three meetings.

In the fourth round, Suárez Navarro will face 2006 US Open champion and former World No.1 Maria Sharapova.

Fernando Verdasco Defeats Andy Murray to Advance to Third Round at the US Open

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Fernando Verdasco is celebrating a big win…

The 34-year-old Spanish professional tennis player defeated Andy Murray, the 2012 champion, 7-5, 2-6, 6-4, 6-4, in the second round of the US Open.

Fernando Verdasco

Verdasco, the No. 31 seed, will face a second straight past champion at Flushing Meadows when he meets third-seeded Juan Martin del Potro, the 2009 champion, in the third round.

Verdasco won for just the second time in 15 career meetings with Murray, who had multiple chances to even the final game of a 64-minute final set before the left-hander finished it.

“I think some of the tennis I played today was some of the best I’ve played since I had the surgery or since I came back,” Murray said. “But there were also periods in the match, especially in the first set, where, you know, I really didn’t play particularly well. I hit a lot of mistakes when I was up in that set. I feel like I should have won the first set and didn’t.

“Then kind of at the end when back was against the wall, I came up with some good tennis to make it close and interesting at the end and almost got myself back into it. You know, there were too many ups and downs for my liking.”

Rafael Nadal Defeats Juan Martin del Potro to Reach US Open Final

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Rafael Nadal is thisclose to earning his third US Open title…

Closing in on his 16th Grand Slam championship overall, Nadal overcame a decent start with an overwhelming performance the rest of the way Friday night, taking nine games in a row during one stretch to beat 2009 champion Juan Martin del Potro 4-6, 6-0, 6-3, 6-2 in the semifinals at Flushing Meadows.

Rafael Nadal

Nadal, currently ranked No. 1 in the world, will be a significant favorite Sunday against No. 32 Kevin Anderson of South Africa, who beat Pablo Carreno Busta 4-6, 7-5, 6-3, 6-4 to become the lowest-ranked US Open finalist since the ATP‘s computer rankings began in 1973. He has lost his four previous matches against Nadal.

Nadal looked as good as ever over the last three sets against del Potro, further confirmation of his return to the height of his powers. Nadal is again healthy and capable of excellence, after wrist and knee injuries dulled his effectiveness in 2015 and 2016 — the first seasons since 2004 in which he not only failed to win a Grand Slam trophy but didn’t even make a final.

“It’s been an amazing season, of course, after a couple of years with some troubles, injuries, tough moments,” Nadal said. “So this year, since the beginning, has been a very emotional year.”

He reached the Australian Open final in January, losing to Roger Federer, and then claimed a record 10th French Open championship in June.

Except for a less-than-dominant opening set Friday, in which Nadal had nine winners and 10 unforced errors, he barely missed his targets. His numbers the rest of the way: 36 winners, 10 unforced errors.

Eventually, del Potro’s flat, fearsome forehand became less dangerous, as if he suddenly remembered just how weary he was. Dealing with an illness, del Potro came back from a two-set deficit to win his fourth-round match in five sets, and then got past 19-time major champion Federer in the quarterfinals in four sets. Maybe it was all too much for del Potro, whose one Grand Slam title came via wins over Nadal in the semifinals and Federer in the final in New York in 2009.

That was the last time Nadal lost in a major semifinal; he has now won 15 in a row.