The last grand slam of the year continues to throw up a clutch of fascinating stories as the concluding week of the US Open got underway at Flushing Meadows.
In the men’s tournament, Frenchman Arthur Gea almost pulled off a huge shock. Gea, world number 87, came within a point of becoming the first lucky loser to ever reach a grand slam quarter-final. Two sets up against Botic van de Zandschulp, Gea had match point in a tie-break but failed to convert it. He ultimately lost that tie-break and then another in the next set, before his Dutch opponent completed a sizeable turnaround to edge a five-set thriller.
It marked the end of a fine run from Gea, who had fell at the final hurdle in qualifying only to get a reprieve when Casper Ruud withdrew injured on the eve of the tournament.
Van de Zandschulp now meets top seed Alexander Zverev with a semi-final spot up for grabs.
In the women’s event, Zheng Qinwen completed another remarkable turnaround as she booked a quarter-final berth.
Zheng was 5-0 down to former US Open champion Iga Swiatek but somehow fought back to win seven straight games and seal the opening set. That replicated a feat she achieved in the previous round as she also trailed Madison Keys 5-0 in the deciding set of their third round clash a few days prior.
Zheng completed a 7-5 6-3 win over Swiatek to seal a last-eight meeting with second seed Elena Rybakina. “The more matches I play, the more rhythm I have on court,” said Zheng.
“People have asked me if I’m tired and when I arrived I was not tired at all. I felt really pumped for my match, trying to reach better levels here and enjoy this fantastic stadium.”
Home hope Coco Gauff safely booked her quarter-final place with a routine 6-1 6-4 win over Ivo Jovic as she showed her prowess and displayed her ability to potentially win this title for a second time, after her maiden 2023 triumph.
“Iva is an incredible player and an incredible talent, she plays beyond her years,” said Gauff of her fellow American. “I’m looking forward to many more battles out here, I’m sure we will be playing a lot more matches in the future.”
Gauff’s win ensured that six of the top eight women’s seeds are through to the quarter-finals for the first time in almost 30 years.
