Iga Swiatek, No. 1 Seed at U.S. Open, Loses in Fourth Round

When Iga Swiatek, the No. 1 ladies’s participant on the planet, took the primary set towards Jelena Ostapenko on Sunday evening, it appeared like enterprise as common.

Swiatek, a four-time Grand Slam champion at 22, in any case, was the reigning U.S. Open champion, and going into her match towards Ostapenko, she had not dropped a set at this match.

But whereas Swiatek is commonly capable of cruise via matches, Ostapenko has been a little bit of a thorn in her aspect. Ostapenko has been undefeated towards Swiatek, and prolonged that to 4 wins with a victory on Sunday evening, 3-6, 6-3, 6-1.

In the second set, the match shifted. Ostapenko started to take management. When Ostapenko evened issues up at a set apiece, Swiatek gave the impression to be out of her consolation zone.

As she struggled, Swiatek seemed up at her field, showing to ask for some type of recommendation to cope with Ostapenko’s surge. Her coach, Tomasz Wiktorowski, didn’t appear to have a solution for her, and Swiatek sarcastically clapped towards her field, as if to convey thanks for nothing.

Throughout the third set, Ostapenko was unrelenting. “I had to be aggressive because that’s what she doesn’t really like,” Ostapenko mentioned in an on-court interview after the match. “I was just fighting until the very last point.”

Ostapenko will now face Coco Gauff, the American seeded No. 6, in a quarterfinal on Tuesday. Gauff additionally just lately found out defeat Swiatek after beating her within the semifinals of the Western and Southern Open in Ohio final month.

Ostapenko and Gauff have confronted one another twice, most just lately on the Australian Open, the place Ostapenko defeated Gauff in straight units within the spherical of 16. Gauff received their earlier match in 2019.

“It was a tough match,” Ostapenko mentioned about her Australian Open match towards Gauff earlier this yr. “Of course, it’s going be another tough match. I don’t expect any easy matches here in a Grand Slam, so I’m ready for another battle.”

But now, with out Swiatek in the best way, the U.S. Open ladies’s singles draw opens up rather more broadly. Suddenly, the trail to the ultimate has turn into simpler for Ostapenko, Gauff, Jessica Pegula, Ons Jabeur and Aryna Sabalenka.

Gauff is prepared for Ostapenko, whom she described on Sunday as a tough hitter forward of Ostapenko’s victory.

“With Jelena, she’s a striker, ball-striker. I lost to her in Australian Open this year. She’s hot or cold, to be honest,” Gauff mentioned.

The winner of Ostapenko and Gauff will tackle the winner of a quarterfinal match between Sorana Cirstea and Karolina Muchova within the semifinals. Cirstea, of Romania, reached the quarterfinals after upsetting Belinda Bencic, the fifteenth seed, on Sunday. Muchova, a finalist at this yr’s French Open, made it to the quarterfinals having solely dropped one set in 4 matches.

For now, Ostapenko is concentrated on Gauff, whom she expects to pose a tough problem.

“I will try to focus on myself and enjoy it,” Ostapenko mentioned. “It’s great to be in quarterfinals, especially here in New York.”