Inspired Garcia ousts top seed Pliskova; Djokovic overcomes slow start to enter Rd 3

New York, September 3

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Top seed Karolina Pliskova suffered a shock 6-1 7-6(2) loss to Frenchwoman Caroline Garcia in the second round of the US Open yesterday to blow the women’s draw wide open. Pliskova, a former world No. 1, had no answer to Garcia’s power and precision as the Frenchwoman raced out of the blocks to open up a 5-0 lead in the opening set. The Czech was helpless in the face of her unseeded opponent’s relentless onslaught and her exit marked the worst performance by a women’s top seed in New York since Simona Halep’s opening round defeat in 2018.

Pliskova, who was dumped out in the opening round of last week’s Western & Southern Open, fought back in the second set to force a tiebreak but the end result was never in doubt. “I stuck to my game plan and every point was very important. Now I can take confidence from a good win against a top player,” said Garcia, who celebrated her victory by running the breadth of the court with her arms outstretched.

The women’s top seed has not won the title here since Serena Williams in 2014 and Garcia ensured the trend continued with a stunning performance.

Djokovic extends win streak

World No. 1 Novak Djokovic brushed aside Briton Kyle Edmund 6-7(5) 6-3 6-4 6-2 after a sluggish start to remain unbeaten in 2020 and move into the third round.

On a hot, humid day, Edmund was left bathed in sweat while a cool and collected Djokovic stayed on course for his 18th Grand Slam title and improved his 2020 match record to 25-0. It stands as the second best start to a season since the Serb went 41-0 in 2011. — Reuters

DAY 3 HIGHLIGHTS

Masked warrior

Naomi Osaka stepped into the Arthur Ashe Stadium wearing a mask that read “Elijah McClain” ahead of her second-round victory, harnessing tennis’s global appeal in her fight for racial justice. The 22-year-old’s mask honored McClain, the 23-year-old Black man who died after a violent encounter with Aurora, Colorado, police officers in 2019.

Tsitsipas too good for Cressy

Fourth seed Stefanos Tsitsipas powered past Maxime Cressy in a late encounter, beating the American 7-6(2) 6-3 6-4. He will take on Croatian 27th seed Borna Coric next.

India’s Sharan and Cacic bow out

India’s Divij Sharan and Serbia’s Nikola Cacic lost 4-6 6-3 3-6 to eighth seeds Nikola Mektic and Wesley Koolhof in the men’s doubles first round.

Zverev overcomes teenager Nakashima

Fifth seed Alexander Zverev was stretched to four sets in a 7-5 6-7(8) 6-3 6-1 second-round win over American teenager Brandon Nakashima.

Other results

Men’s singles

Denis Shapovalov bt Kwon Soon-woo 6-7(5) 6-4 6-4 6-2; Borna Coric bt Juan Ignacio Londero 7-5 4-6 6-7(5) 6-2 6-3

Women’s singles

Angelique Kerber bt Anna-Lena Friedsam 6-3 7-6(6); Ann Li bt Alison Riske 6-0 6-3; Petra Kvitova bt Kateryna Kozlova 7-6(3) 6-2; Varvara Gracheva bt Kristina Mladenovic 1-6 7-6(2) 6-0; Anett Kontaveit bt Kaja Juvan 6-4 6-1; Aliaksandra Sasnovich bt Marketa Vondrousova 6-1 6-2

2014

The last time the women’s top seed won the title at Flushing Meadows. Serena Williams won her third successive title that year