Former world number one Wozniacki, the runner-up in 2009 and 2014, downed American eighth seed Madison Keys 6-3, 6-4 to make the last-eight in NY for a fifth time.
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Angelique Kerber’s bid for world number one remains on track, as Caroline Wozniacki joined her in the US Open quarter-finals.
As in her second-round upset of third-seeded Garbine Muguruza, Sevastova wobbled under the pressure at first, failing to serve out the match.
Sevastova next faces Denmark’s Caroline Wozniacki, who locked American eighth seed Madison Keys out of the quarter-finals with a tidy 6-3 6-4 win yesterday. “Mentally I’m spent. Totally spent”.
Wozniacki hopes to make her first grand slam semifinal since the 2014 US Open.
Monfils, whose lone Grand Slam semi-final appearance came at the French Open back in 2008, next faces either fourth-seeded Spaniard Rafael Nadal, a two-time champion, or compatriot Lucas Pouille as three French men battled Sunday for places in the last eight.
“I didn’t play the tennis level that I would have liked but I competed the best I could.
So if I look at it like that, I do think I did the best that I could today”. Her serve, perhaps the Briton’s greatest weapon, was broken seven times.
Sevastova’s remarkable run continues after she gave up tennis three years ago, fed up with injuries and poor form, to take up a course in management. Exhausted after the match, she had tears in her eyes.
Sevastova, who’s ranked 48th, was such an unknown coming into the U.S. Open that initially her picture wasn’t included in the official tournament app.
Wozniacki, her ranking down to 74th following a series of injuries, hadn’t won four matches in a row since March 2015.
She returned to the sport in January 2015 and that decision has been fully vindicated by her stunning run to the last-eight in NY. “It’s not going to be an easy one, but I’m excited just to have another shot”, concluded Wozniacki. “Because if I’m not in the top five, I feel like it’s not where I want to be, so at that point, whether I’m 20 in the world or 100 in the world, it doesn’t matter because I’m going to play the same people anyway”. “It’s always tough to finish the match, but I think I’m handling it better now”. I still can not believe it.
The 25-year-old suffered an on-court collapse during her second-round victory at Flushing Meadows and, after losing to Sevastova, indicated she may not have fully recovered. The Latvian also hit more winners (30 to 26) and fewer unforced errors (26 to 34).
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The Latvian blasted one short forehand straight into her opponent’s body and then twice had the chance for a knock-out, opening up match points at 5-3 and 5-4.
