As he rose with eyes wide open – and tongue still wagging – the last man from France to win any Grand Slam singles title, 1983 French Open champion Yannick Noah, whose son Joakim recently joined the New York Knicks, spread around high-fives in the stands.
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Kerber’s first U.S. Open semifinal since 2011 will come against an unseeded player, either two-time runner-up Caroline Wozniacki or Anastasija Sevastova.
The 30-year-old mixed his typical showmanship with a professional steel as he came through 6-4 6-3 6-3.
Ninth seed Tsonga followed Monfils’ lead and booked his quarterfinals berth 6-3, 6-3, 6-7 (7), 6-2 over American 26th seed Jack Sock. During the changeover after the third game, a trainer examined and taped up the ankle during a medical timeout. Evans held a match point at 6-5 in the fourth-set tiebreaker, but Wawrinka erased it, then took that set and raced to a 4-0 lead in the fifth.
Vinci has been bothered by a sore left Achilles tendon, not the sort of impediment that’s ideal against an opponent the caliber of Kerber.
Both the players have been struggling with their left wrists lately.
“But I’m trying to not put pressure on myself, because I know I have to win a few more matches to reach the No. 1”. First and foremost let me say this: this encounter is exactly why we love this game and the fact that on paper, it was not even meant to happen.
“I think I’m very blessed genetically”, he said. That was something that I didn’t make today.
“I think it was the best atmosphere I played on a centre court”, he said of the 22,000-seat cathedral of tennis.
DISBELIEF: Frenchman Lucas Pouille celebrates his stunning win over Rafa Nadal in a five-set classic on Sunday.
The loss ends a thrilling run from Pouille, who defeated 14-time grand slam victor Rafael Nadal to get to the last eight in a grand slam for the second time.
France, meanwhile, has won nine Davis Cup titles and lost eight finals. He won a gold medal in doubles at Rio Olympics 2016 as well.
Djokovic’s right arm was massaged by a trainer in his first- and fourth-round matches at the U.S. Open, so getting all of these free passes hasn’t been a bad thing. “I got a lot of days off and recovered my body”, Djokovic said. Had the right attitude.
I put myself in a position to have the victor and I had the mistake.
And that’s a scary thought for Monfils. The only other Grand Slam semifinal Monfils reached was at the 2008 French Open, when he lost to Roger Federer in four sets. Del Potro has played just 10-plus sets through four rounds. I played great tennis so far.
For years, the book on Gael Monfils was that he was supremely talented, yes – and also more interested in producing an entertaining display than an effective one. “Enjoys tennis. Enjoys life”.
The tenth seed ended Pouille’s dream run in NY, beating him 6-4, 6-3, 6-3 on the hard courts of a packed Arthur Ashe Stadium.
Lucas Pouille, of France, reacts after beating Rafael Nadal, of Spain, during the fourth round of the U.S. Open tennis tournament, Sunday, Sept. 4, 2016, in NY. But I need something else, I needed something more that was not there today.
All in all, the spectators with tickets for Tuesday did not get much competitive or quality tennis.
Even after the tighter third set, Djokovic was pleased with his night’s work.
Novak Djokovic steamed into the quarter-finals of the US Open with a 6-2, 6-1, 6-4 victory against 84th-ranked Briton Kyle Edmund.
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Caroline Wozniacki, of Denmark, returns a shot to Madison Keys, of the United States, during the fourth round of the U.S. Open tennis tournament, Sunday, Sept. 4, 2016, in NY.
