Jack Draper defeats world No 8 Felix Auger-Aliassime
British tennis hopeful Jack Draper has booked himself a place in the third round of the US Open in New York after defeating world No 8 Felix Auger-Aliassime on Wednesday night at the iconic hard-court Grand Slam.
Draper who is currently ranked No 4 in Great Britain defeated the Canadian in straight sets (6-4, 6-4, 6-4) under the lights of the Louis Armstrong Stadium in Queens, New York. The Sutton (England) born tennis star will enter the ATP Tour’s top 50 for the first time in his career. He stated that he ‘fears no-one’ after toppling one of the world’s top 10 players.
Draper will face Karen Khachanov from Russia in the third round. Khachanov will be looking to progress to his first Grand Slam fourth round match since the French Open in May.
Serena Williams upsets World No 2 Anett Kontaveit
On Wednesday evening, 40-year old tennis superstar Serena Williams took to the Arthur Ashe Stadium in Flushing Meadows, New York to face the WTA Tour world No 2 Anett Kontaveit in her second round US Open match.
Williams defeated Kontaveit 7-6 (7-4), 2-6, 6-2 to book herself a spot in the third round at Flushing Meadows where she will face Australia’s Ajla Tomljanovic. Serena is currently ranked 605th in the world after missing the Australian Open and sustaining injuries which resulted in a loss of form. This makes a victory over the world No 2 that much more important for the American.
In early August, the 23-time Grand Slam champion announced in an emotional statement that she would be retiring from tennis at the end of the 2022 season, with the US Open likely being Williams’ last tournament. However, even if her singles campaign ends at the third round, fans in New York and around the world will be able to watch Serena Williams and her sister Venus compete together for a final time in the women’s doubles tournament which begins on Thursday 1st September. The Williams sisters will face Linda Nosková and Lucie Hradecká from the Czech Republic.
Galán defeats world No 5 Tsitsipas in round one
One of the most surprising outcomes of the US Open so far came in round one when world No 94 Daniel Elahi Galán from Colombia defeated Greek tennis sensation and world No 5 Stefanos Tsitsipas by three sets to one (6-0, 6-1, 3-6, 7-5). Tsitsipas’ horror run in New York mirrors that of his campaign at Wimbledon where he lost to Nick Kyrgios in the third round.
Stefanos will aim to keep his US Open dreams alive when he pairs up with his brother Petros in the men’s doubles competition over the coming days.
