Frances Tiafoe is gearing up for a rematch he eagerly anticipates, a second shot at Ben Shelton at the U.S. Open. Unfortunately, there won’t be a repeat Grand Slam title for Barbora Krejcikova.
The Wimbledon champion was ousted from the U.S. Open in the second round on Wednesday, falling to Elena-Gabriela Ruse 6-4, 7-5. Krejcikova, seeded No. 8, had clinched her second Grand Slam singles title this summer but had not competed since the Paris Olympics. Last week, she admitted uncertainty about her current form, and her performance proved less than sufficient.
“I mean, winning Wimbledon is amazing. It’s a great, great, great result, I’m very proud about it and how I was able to handle everything there,” she reflected, having not contested a tournament on hard courts since February. “I think I was playing quite well, definitely better than in the first match. I think my game was improving, but it just wasn’t enough.”
Remarkably, no woman has claimed both Wimbledon and U.S. Open titles in the same year since Serena Williams achieved the feat in 2012.
Tiafoe had a swift victory on the hottest day of the tournament so far, with New York temperatures soaring above 90 degrees Fahrenheit. Three men’s matches concluded when opponents retired, including defending champion Novak Djokovic’s match. Djokovic advanced to the third round after Laslo Djere retired early in the third set, appearing to suffer hip pain following over two hours of strenuous play.
“You know, in the end, not the kind of finish that we players or crowd wants to see, but I think it’s probably due to that physical battle that we had in the opening two sets,” said the No. 2-seeded Djokovic.
Tiafoe, seeded No. 20, claimed the first two sets before Alexander Shevchenko retired after the first game of the third set. Later, the No. 13 seed Shelton defeated Roberto Bautista Agut 6-3, 6-4, 6-4. Shelton had eliminated Tiafoe in last year’s quarterfinals, preventing Tiafoe from reaching the U.S. Open semifinals for a second consecutive year.
Tiafoe remarked, “Obviously he’s very much like me in how excited and energetic he is on the court, and has such a big game and big shots and serves big and gets the crowd going.” Meanwhile, 21-year-old Shelton acknowledged Tiafoe’s popularity, “I know that the people love him here. Probably more than me. He’s electric here, and his crowds are electric here. It will be a battle. It will be a war just like the last two times we’ve played. Yeah, I’m more than excited to be out there with him again.”
Both players were among four American men advancing to the third round in the bottom half of the draw. No. 12 seed Taylor Fritz progressed by defeating Matteo Berrettini 6-3, 7-6 (1), 6-1, while Brandon Nakashima beat Arthur Cazaux and will next challenge No. 18 seed Lorenzo Musetti, the Olympic bronze medalist.
Defending champion Coco Gauff confidently moved into the third round with a 6-4, 6-0 win over Tatjana Maria. The No. 3 seed is set to face No. 27 seed Elina Svitolina next. Ruse, a 26-year-old Romanian, reached the third round of a Grand Slam for the first time and will challenge No. 26 seed Paula Badosa, who defeated American Taylor Townsend 6-3, 7-5.
Jiri Lehecka overcame the heat to execute an impressive comeback, rallying from two sets down to defeat Mitchell Krueger 6-7 (5), 0-6, 6-4, 6-4, 7-5 in a match lasting just shy of four hours. Lehecka, seeded No. 32, faced a 3-0 deficit in the third set against the American qualifier but fought back. “I kind of dug back into the match with a big fight, and then the fourth set and fifth set was just a battle and we were both fighting for every point,” Lehecka said.
He will face No. 6 seed Andrey Rublev, who also recovered from two sets down to defeat Arthur Rinderknech 4-6, 5-7, 6-1, 6-2, 6-2.
Former U.S. Open finalists Aryna Sabalenka and Alexander Zverev both secured straight-set victories. Olympic gold medalist Zheng Qinwen, the No. 7 seed, overcame Erika Andreeva in three sets, while No. 12 seed Daria Kasatkina was upset by American Peyton Stearns, who will next face No. 24 seed and Olympic silver medalist Donna Vekic.
Another third-round women’s match will feature No. 14 seed Madison Keys against No. 33 Elise Mertens. Keys, the 2017 runner-up at Flushing Meadows, cruised past Maya Joint 6-4, 6-0, while Mertens dispatched Ajla Tomljanovic 6-3, 6-2.
