NEW YORK, Sept 3 (Reuters) – The U.S. Open singles draw reaches the third round on Friday, with top seeds Aryna Sabalenka and Carlos Alcaraz among those in action alongside home hopes Jessica Pegula and Ben Shelton.
Women’s doubles competition also continues at Flushing Meadows, where Serena and Venus Williams will team up at a Grand Slam for the first time in four years.
TOP WOMEN’S MATCH: JESSICA PEGULA V LEYLAH FERNANDEZ
Third seed Jessica Pegula, the 2024 U.S. Open runner-up, has reached the third round without dropping a set, winning both her matches comfortably and yet to face a break point.
The 32-year-old American has been serving with authority in New York, using her accuracy and consistency to dictate points and limit opportunities for her opponents.
Her next test comes against 23-year-old Leylah Fernandez, the 2021 runner-up, who has shown signs of rediscovering her best form in New York after a difficult Grand Slam season, advancing with victories over Mananchaya Sawangkaew and Zhang Shuai.
“Leylah is really tough to play against. Being a lefty is always tricky,” Pegula told reporters on Wednesday.
“She’s really aggressive. She changes the direction of the ball really well, hits a lot of good angles and is a good returner.”
Pegula leads the head-to-head 3-1 and won their most recent meeting in Miami earlier this year, but Fernandez’s aggressive returning and proven record at Flushing Meadows should ensure a stern examination for the American.
TOP MEN’S MATCH: BEN SHELTON V DENIS SHAPOVALOV
Ben Shelton will look to extend his U.S. Open campaign when the eighth-seeded American faces Canada’s Denis Shapovalov in a blockbuster third-round clash.
The 23-year-old came through a four-set battle with Hubert Hurkacz to reach the third round in New York for the third successive year.
Standing in his way is former U.S. Open quarter-finalist Shapovalov, who has dropped only one set through two rounds and arrives in encouraging form after reaching the Los Cabos final.
The Canadian has impressed at Flushing Meadows by keeping his error count under control while using his aggressive game to dictate points, but he faces a difficult challenge against fellow left-hander Shelton.
Shelton holds a 4-0 record against Shapovalov, although their meetings have rarely been straightforward. Their Wimbledon clash in 2024 went the distance, while the Canadian took the opening set before Shelton battled back to win their Dallas semi-final earlier this year.
Their most recent meeting came in Dallas in February, where Shelton’s victory propelled him towards the title.
While Shapovalov has the firepower to trouble any opponent, Shelton’s powerful serve and greater consistency from the baseline could give the American the edge.
WILLIAMS SISTERS RETURN
Two-time U.S. Open doubles champions Serena and Venus Williams will reunite at a Grand Slam for the first time since 2022 when they face 14th seeds Chan Hao-Ching and Maya Joint in the first round on Friday.
Serena, 44, returned to doubles competition in June after an absence of nearly four years, partnering Canadian Victoria Mboko at Queen’s Club and Karolina Muchova in Berlin before making her singles comeback at Wimbledon.
The sisters had also planned to compete together at the All England Club before Serena’s knee injury forced their withdrawal. They resumed their partnership in Cincinnati last month but suffered a first-round defeat.
Venus, 46, reached the U.S. Open women’s doubles quarter-finals alongside Fernandez last year and will hope for a similar run with her sister.
They face a difficult opening test against Chan and Joint, who have enjoyed a strong start to their partnership, reaching the Memphis final, the second round in Toronto and the quarter-finals in Cincinnati.
Joint also defeated Serena in the first round at Wimbledon earlier this summer, in the only singles match of the American’s comeback so far.
U.S. OPEN ORDER OF PLAY ON FRIDAY (prefix number denotes seeding):
ARTHUR ASHE STADIUM (1530 GMT/1130 ET)
3-Jessica Pegula (U.S.) v 31-Leylah Fernandez (Canada)
Yibing Wu (China) v 2-Carlos Alcaraz (Spain)
Serena Williams (U.S.) & Venus Williams (U.S.) v 14-Chan Hao-Ching (China) and Maya Joint (Australia)
8-Ben Shelton (U.S.) v Denis Shapovalov (Canada)
LOUIS ARMSTRONG STADIUM (1500 GMT/1100 ET)
1-Aryna Sabalenka (Belarus) v Kamilla Rakhimova (Uzbekistan)
15-Alexander Bublik (Kazakhstan) v 20-Tommy Paul (U.S.)
22-Valentin Vacherot (Monaco) v 11-Frances Tiafoe (U.S.)
9-Elina Svitolina (Ukraine) v Anna Kalinskaya (Russia)
(Reporting by Karan Prashant Saxena in BengaluruEditing by Christian Radnedge)
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