Key events
Keys is really pleased, saying Joint played really well and took a whole to get “used to her ball”. In sport you have to get used to things not going to plan – the injury that saw her depart Wimbledon in tears means she’s barely played since – but also means she’s fresh. She’s changed a lot recently, experimenting with different strings and such, but asked about her private life, she laughs that planning a wedding, renovating a house and travelling the world, all three with her coach-fiance, is not all that easy. Goodness me!
Madison Keys (14) beats Maya Joint 6-4 6-0
A routine win for Keys, who improved through the match and faces Mertens (33) next.
Zverev and Muller are away and this is the match we’re being shown; I’ve got Keys v Joint on my other screen, keys up match point at 6-4 5-0 40-30.
Hmmm. Lehecka down two sets to Krueger, breaks for 5-4 in the third and will shortly serve for the third set. If he gets on a roll, he’ll be difficult to stop.
Keys breaks again then consolidates to lead Joint 6-4 4-0; she’ll soon be back in the locker room. Meantime on telly, they’re discussing 1987, when Martina won the women’s singles, women’s doubles and mixed doubles – she played the first tow finals on the Saturday then three matches – last eight, last four and final of the mixed – on the Sunday. What a human being.
Next on Armstrong: Alexandre Müller v Alexander Zverev (4).
Back on Ashe, Keys now leads joint 6-4 2-0, and let’s do a full roundup while we’re at it: Dimitrov leads Hijikata 6-1 6-1 5-4 on serve; Krueger leads Lehecka 7-6 6-0 4-3 on serve; and Cerundolo leads Etcheverry 3-6 6-4 1-0 on serve;
“Oh my God, I have no words,” says Ruse, who doesn’t know how she managed to beat the Wimbledon champ. She says her partner is her lucky charm – he’s there today – and thanks her coach following some tough months during which she was injured. This is the best Grand Slam run of her career and she doesn’t care who’s up next, she’s just going to enjoy. New York is her favourite city and she wants to enjoy every moment she has there.
Elena-Gabriela Ruse beats Barbora Krejcikova (8) 6-4 7-5
A fantastic win for Ruse, who hit it hard, especially to Krejcikova’s forehand, and stayed calm when under pressure, breaking once to save the set then again to clinch the match. That is the biggest win of her career, seeing off the Wimbledon champ, and next for her is Paula Badosa.
Badosa is really happy, making round three for the first time; she says it doesn’t sound like much but she was thinking about it on match point, also noting that she was born in New York City so winning here means a little extra. Oh and she confirms that she’ll be playing mixed doubles with Stefanos Tsitsipas, her boyfriend, saying he’s a champion and will always be a champion, though he lost yesterday.
Talking of whom, Ruse smokes a backhand return for 0-15, breaks back to 15, holds, and now Krejcikova must serve to stay in the match.
Paula Badosa (26) beats Taylor Townsend 6-3 7-5
It’s so good to see Badosa back and hitting it so hard – she’s had so much ill luck with injuries. Townsend had a little purple patch in the middle of set two but there was never really any doubt who would win and Badosa moves on to face either Krejcikova or Ruse.
Badosa races to 0-40 and has three match points; can Townsend save herself?
Elise Mertens (33) beats Ajla Tomljanovic 6-3 6-2
She faces Keys or Joint next, Keys up 6-4.
Might Townsend have missed her chance? Badosa holds, forcing her to serve to stay in the match at 3-6 5-6, while Krejcikova will, as soon as we’ve heard 90 seconds of Don’t stop Till You Get Enough, serve to take her match with Ruse to a decider.
Krejcikova sees out a marathon hold for 5-3 in set two, then Badosa rushes through a break-back, levelling set two against a disappointed Townsend at 5-5.
Longtime readers will know that Maddy Keys is a favourite of this blog thanks to the fragile power that allows her to blow anyone away or lose to anyone. She has, though, been a little more consistent lately, and leads joint 4-3 with a break; Krejcikova is serving down 4-6 4-3 to Ruse; Dimitrov leads Hijikata 6-1 6-1 2-1; Krueger leads Lehecka 7-6 6-0; Niemeier leads Uchijima 6-4 4-0; Etcheverry leads Cerundolo 6-3 4-4, his second-set break retrieved; and Mertens is serving for the match leading Tomljanovic 6-3 5-2.
Badosa punishes a fine forehand down the line but as she comes in, Townsend powers a forehand on to her tootsies and punches the air when the riposte is netted. From there, she closes out, and at 3-5 the Spaniard will now serve to stay in the second set.
Krejcikova is just so tough, and she breaks Ruse to trail 4-6 4-3, while Badosa punishes a forehand to earn deuce as Townsend attempts to consolidate. Then, caught at the net, a backhand is walloped at her and she can’t control her volley, so faces break-back point at 3-6 4-3…
Oh, Taylor; oh maaaate! An overhead takes her to 15-30 on the Badosa serve but then, after a murderous backhand, she sticks another into the net. No matter: she’s reading the second serves now and a forehand winner raises break point and a backhand winner secures it! Townsend is into this and the crowd respond to her! Badosa leads 6-3 3-4!
Niemeier takes the first set against Uchijima 6-4 while Dimitrov takes the second to lead Hijikata 6-1 6-1. Oh, and have a look: Kruger has broken Lehecka immediately in set two to lead 7-6 2-0, while we’re away on Ashe – without coverage on a normal Sky channel – Keys and Joint level at 1-1. Meantime on Armstrong, Badosa leads Townsend 6-3 2-3 on serve, but isn’t playing quite as well, and Ruse leads Krejcikova 6-4 2-2.
Etcheverry did lead Cerundolo by a set and a break, but before I can even bring you the news, it’s retrieved, the score now 6-3 2-2; otherwise, Mertens leads Tomljanovic 6-3 1-0 with a break and we’re on serve elsewhere.
Krueger nets a backhand, then Lehecka’s forehand takes care of the next point. But a fine return, lofted a little, gives the Czech too much to do, and Krueger leads 7-6(5)!
Townsend makes Badosa work for her first hold of set two and won’t be happy she spurned the chance of a game containing two doubles, but now trails 3-6 0-1. Meantime, Krueger is 5-2 up on Lehecka, one mini-break to the good … and the Czech number 32 seed sends down a double! He follows it with an ace, but remains three set-points down…
In a few minutes, Madison Keys and Maya joint will get going on Ashe; hopefully that encourages sky to stick a different match on Main Event to Tennis.
Ruse takes a a nice, long break after set one – as you might – so Krejcikova takes some advice off her coach. I’m going to leave that match for a second, but, to watch the first-set breaker between Mitchell Krueger and Jiri Lehecka.
I should say, it’s extremely hot today and, particularly during the day sesh, that’s going to impact the matches we see and who wis them.
Now then! Krejcikova is not wise to Ruse’s ruse! She breaks the Wimbledon champ for a third time and this time takes the first set 6-4! Elsewhere, Dimitrov is now up a set and a break, leading Hijikata 6-1 2-0, and Uchijima and Niemeier are back on serve at 3-4 in the first.
Krejcikova is such a competitor and she won’t let Ruse make off with the first set, earning advantage and thrashing away with forehands until there’s an overhead to put away; she now trials 4-5. Meantime, on Armstrong, Badosa holds easily enough to secure a 6-3 first set.
Dimitrov secures a 6-1 first set against Hijikata, while Niemeier leads Uchijima 4-2 and Etcheverry is up 6-3 on Cerundolo; our other singles matches are on serve.
Badosa is girls with Aryna Sabalenka, and I’m not sure if they bonded over administering GBH to tennis balls, but it’s certainly something they’ve got in common. And she’s swinging so freely here I’m intrigued to check out her draw, learning that if she wins, the seeding says next is Krejcikova – who’s just saved a set point and forced Ruse to serve for a 1-0 lead.
I’ve moved to Krejcikova 2-5 Ruse, immediately learning that the Romanian has kept her more august opponent moving, hence her lead. And as I do, on Armstrong, Badosa breaks Townsend again and leads 5-2, in pretty decent control of things.
Badosa holds again for 4-2 while, elsewhere, Ruse leads Krejcikova 4-2 and I guess I may soon move to that match from Dimitrov 5-0 Hijikata; Lehecka leads Krueger 3-2; Uchijima and Niemeier are level at 2-2; and Cerundolo and Etcheverry are 3-3, likewise Tomljanovic and Mertens;
A lovely drop earns Dimitrov a point for a double break and he takes it with a forehand on to the toes to which Hijikata can’t respond. That makes it 4-0 Griggzy, but on the other hand, he’s a 33-year-old man with short hair wearing a baseball cap on backwards, so swings and roundabouts. No doubt he also sits on chairs the wrong way around too.
Badosa has to fight through deuce for her consolidation but she gets there, two big serves helping her do the necessary. She looks very confident, sitting down on her shots and looking for winners. She leads 3-1.
On Grandstand, Ruse and Krejcikova have exchanged breaks at 1-1, while Dimitrov breaks Hijikata at the first time of asking for a 2-0 lead. There’s a real calmness about how he conducts himself in rallies, but I just can’t see a way he beats one of the top three over five.
Already, Townsend is giving Badosa something different to what she usually gets, loopy lefty forehands at varying pace. But at 1-1 0-15, Badosa misses an overhead with almost the whole court at which to aim … then makes amends by drilling a forehand winner, and when Townsend nets a forehand, there are two break points on the agenda. And Badosa only needs one, dominating the rally with some sizeable groundstrokes and responding to another loopy one by upping the pace of her own shot; her opponent can’t respind and the Spaniard leads 2-1.
He’s a funny one, Dimitrov; if he’d been the competitor and player he is now a decade ago, he might’ve found his way to a major final. But for whatever reason it took him a while to assimilate his talent into his being, such that he’snow a regular in the second week of Slams, but never with a serious chance of bagging one. He leads Hijikata 1-0.
I’ve not a clue why, but Sky are showing the same match on Main Event as they are on Tennis. Hopefully that changes – I’ve got both on in the hope – but until that happens, I can only watch two matches, so as my second I’ll go for Hijikata v Dimitrov (9).
Townsend, though, is one of few serve-volleyers on tour, and that alone makes her tricky to play. If she’s at it today, expect her to be a problem.
On Armstrong, Badosa and Townsend are knocking up. The former is in good nick having won in Washington and made the semis in Cincy, but she’s more than capable of losing matches she shouldn’t – never mind when still not properly settled after a back injury.
The way the telly works, we’ll have to be satisfied with whatever is showing on the two Sky channels, then I’ll pick the best of the rest.
So which matches to watch?
First things first: my colleague Luke McLaughlin alerts me to this piece of joy from the official US Open account.
Preamble
Hey there Dudes and welcome to the US Open 2024 – day three!
And again, there’s so much ridiculous tennis it’s hard to know where to begin. We’ve got Madison Keys and Francis Tiafoe on Ashe while, on Armstrong, it’s Paula Badosa – her match against Taylor Townsend could be a goodun – followed by Alexander Zverev, yet again seeking a first Grand Slam title, and Aryna Sabalenka, this blog’s favourite for the women’s crown.
But as we reminded ourselves yesterday, at this stage of a tournament the best matches are likely to come away from the two main show courts, and we’ve got quite the selection. We’ll see Barbora Krejcikova, the Wimbledon champ; Ben Shelton v Roberto Bautista Agut; Casper Ruud v Gael Monfils; and Elina Svitolina v Anhelina Kalinina.
Is that it? Nope! There’s also Griggzy Dimitrov, Lorenzo Musetti, Andrey Rublev, Daria Kasatkina and the surging Alexei Popyrin; Harriet Dart v Marta Kostyuk, a potential belter between Brandon Nakashima and Arthur Cazaux, a Facundo Cerundolo v Tomas Etcheverry Argentinian derby and Donna Vekic v Geet Minnen. Awesome!
Play: 11am local, 4pm BST
