U.S. Open tennis | Sakkari, Bencic enter fourth round

Greek Maria Sakkari dismantled the defences of twice Grand Slam champion Petra Kvitova to win 6-4 6-3 to reach the fourth round of the U.S. Open on Saturday.

The 17th seed relied on her powerful serve once again, winning all but one of her first-serve points in the opening set and firing off nine aces in the match on Arthur Ashe Stadium.

In the second set, her Czech opponent dropped serve in the first game but refused to go quietly, fending off seven break points – including two in the third game to hold – but could not match the power of Sakkari, who struck 13 winners in the set.

“I think my serve was probably my biggest weapon today and of course playing in front of this crowd was unbelievable,” said Sakkari, who lost to Serena Williams in a fourth-round, three-set thriller a year ago in front of empty stands.

“It’s always tough to play against Petra, because she hits very hard, probably the hardest on the tour,” she added. “I’m very pleased with the way I served, the way I returned, and my attitude on court.”

The Roland Garros semi-finalist next faces sixth-seeded Canadian Bianca Andreescu, who is looking to recapture the magic of her successful 2019 U.S. Open after missing the 2020 season due to injury and the challenges of competing in the pandemic.

“She can do everything on the court. She can hit hard, she can play high balls, can slice, can dropshot,” said Sakkari. “She’s experienced because she has won big tournaments.”

Sakkari lost in their only previous meeting, a hard-fought, three-set semifinal in Miami in April.

“Bianca is one of the toughest players to play on the tour, and I’m prepared that it’s going to be a very, very tough match for both of us,” Sakkari said.

“I’m just going to stick to what I’m doing good right now and stay with the same mindset.”

Bencic burshes past Pegula

Olympic champion Belinda Bencic put on a serving masterclass to beat Jessica Pegula 6-2 6-4 and reach the last 16 of the U.S. Open on Saturday.

The 11th-seeded Swiss won 85% of her first serve points and smacked four aces to improve to a 3-0 record against Pegula, including a victory over the American at the Tokyo Games that kicked off her gold medal-winning campaign.

“I had really a good feeling again on the court today,” Bencic told reporters.

“I felt my serve was working well, which was helping me a lot. My service games, they kind of felt easier to win, so I felt that put more pressure on my opponent.”

For Bencic, who has yet to drop a set in New York, the only struggle came when she was unable to convert three match point opportunities on Pegula’s serve.

But Bencic held to love in the next game, firing an unreturnable serve to seal the win on a picture-perfect day at Louis Armstrong Stadium court.

She said maintaining her focus was key to fending off Pegula’s second-set comeback attempt.

“I was really paying attention (not to) let her back in, because obviously she’s a great player and she’s had a great season so far,” she said.

“I’m really happy I didn’t let her back in the game.”

Next up for Bencic is either Estonian Anett Kontaveit or Polish seventh seed Iga Swiatek.