© Mike Lawrence/USTA
Iga Swiatek’s form picked up pace in her clash against Kaja Juvan in the third round of the US Open on Friday. The world no. 1 didn’t let her friendship with the Slovenian affect her mindset at all as she pocketed a 6-0, 6-1 win within 50 minutes.The 22-year-old combined to drop just five points off her first and second serves.
She won 16 of 18 of first-serve points and 12 of 15 second-serve points played. Swiatek also won 11 points each on return on her opponent’s first and second serves, which totalled to 65% and 73% points on first-serve and second-serve return respectively.The top seed didn’t face any break point across the match and converted all but one of the six break points that came her way.
The defending titlist at Flushing Meadows ended her showing with 22 winners to Juvan’s two and just five unforced errors to the latter’s 12.Swiatek will play Jelena Ostapenko next. The 20th seed from Latvia came from a set down to stop Jennifer Brady’s return at the American Major.
After an hour and 48 minutes of play, Ostapenko won 4-6, 6-3, 6-3.Against Swiatek, Ostapenko’s won all three matches they’ve played against each other. The most recent one came at the 2022 Dubai Open, in the pre-quarter-finals.
Given the nature of the draw, this is the first potential stumbling block for Swiatek this fortnight, in New York City.
US Open: Karolina Muchova denies Taylor Townsend
Earlier, 10th seed Karolina Muchova got the better of Taylor Townsend, 7-6(0), 6-3 in their match.
The proceedings came to an end just five minutes before the clock hit hours.The first set was quite entertaining as both players kept the other on her toes with the variety of shots she possessed in her kitty. Muchova and Townsend made full use of the court as they volleyed lobbed and sliced, and found winners from the corner pockets at the back of the court.
Townsend the first to go up a break in the match in the fourth game but was broken right back at love by the Czech. As the set progressed and looked to be reaching its conclusion in the tie-break, Muchova came out looking as the better-looking player.Serving in the 12th game to push the set into the tie-break, Muchova went down 0-15.
From that point on, she won 10 back-to-back points to clinch the set after winning the tie-break, 7-0. It also didn’t help Townsend’s cause that she wasn’t able to control her shot-making and coughed up error after another.Townsend’s sudden erratic display spilled onto the second set as well and she faced a couple of break points to go down a double break and trail Muchova, 4-0.
However, with the crowd rallying around her, she finally put herself on the scoreboard in the second set and won three games before forcing Muchova to serve out the match.The 10th seed will now take on Xinyu Wang. Wang beat Anna Karolina Schmiedlova, 4-6, 6-3, 6-2 in their third-round clash.Caroline Wozniacki also won her third-round match at the US Open.
The Dane needed three sets and a comeback effort as well, to get past local favourite, Jennifer Brady. After an hour and 58 minutes of play, Wozniacki claimed a 4-6, 6-3, 6-1 victory.
