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09/03 21:38 CDT Eala, Osaka and Gauff advance, while No. 3 Auger-Aliassime
falls at the US Open
Eala, Osaka and Gauff advance, while No. 3 Auger-Aliassime falls at the US Open
By BRIAN MAHONEY
AP Sports Writer
NEW YORK (AP) --- Alex Eala and her fans are headed to the weekend at the U.S.
Open, along with two-time champion Naomi Osaka and 2023 winner Coco Gauff.
So is Madison Keys --- just barely --- but not No. 3 Felix Auger-Aliassime, who
became the highest-seeded player knocked out of the tournament thus far. No. 6
Alex de Minaur losing in straight sets to Botic van de Zandschulp made it four
of the top-10 seeded men's players to get eliminated before the third round.
Osaka recovered after a mid-match lapse to advance to the third round with a
6-2, 5-7, 6-1 victory over Katerina Siniakova on Thursday, before Eala beat
Oleksandra Oliynykova 6-1, 6-4.
Doubles play also began, though Serena and Venus Williams won't play their
first-round match until Friday night against Hao-Ching Chan and Maya Joint, who
beat Serena in singles play at Wimbledon this summer.
Eala, the No. 17 seed from the Philippines, gave her passionate backers reason
to cheer immediately by winning the first nine points against her Ukrainian
opponent, who had won their only previous meeting.
"I think everybody represents something in their own way; I'm Filipino and I
proudly represent that," Eala said. "And a lot of the crowd here today is
Filipino and I'm sure they share in that sentiment."
Osaka wore silver and white under her long white jacket with a white visor as
she arrived for her match in Arthur Ashe Stadium, three days after she was
dressed in black with her hair done in cornrows under a headband in a tribute
to former NBA superstar Allen Iverson for her opener at night.
The No. 13 seed won the first set in 30 minutes and then opened a 4-2 lead in
the second. But her level of play took a substantial dip, with 20 unforced
errors in the set after only four in the first.
Osaka quickly regained control, breaking for a 2-0 lead in the third before
finishing a 19-shot rally with a volley for a winner en route to taking the
next game, appearing more relieved than excited by her nice touch.
"The match was definitely really tough and I don't know, I just felt like I had
to fight," Osaka said. "I definitely had a couple opportunities in the second
set and I think I was a little bit too hard on myself. So I took the bathroom
break, regrouped a little, came back and just tried to have no regrets."
Auger-Aliassime tumbles out and Keys barely hangs on Auger-Aliassime said he was feeling dizzy and seeing spots and couldn't recover, falling to Karen Khachanov 6-7 (5), 6-3, 6-2, 6-2. "Karen is a great player. Look, I cannot beat him or anybody in this draw feeling the way I felt today," the Canadian said. "If I cannot move, we're not talking about tennis here." The highest seed to fall so far had been No. 4 Novak Djokovic, who lost in the first round at the U.S. Open for the first time in the 24-time Grand Slam champion's career. Keys, the 2017 runner-up, also was on the verge of an early exit before erasing five match points and edging Anna Bondar 5-7, 6-4, 7-6 (10-5). "That was something, huh? No stress, though, we all knew I had it right?" Keys joked to the fans afterward. Other winners included 2022 champion Iga Swiatek and 2025 runner-up Amanda Anisimova. Taylor Fritz, the 2024 men's runner-up, eased to 6-0, 6-1, 6-1 victory over Mattia Bellucci, while fifth-seeded Flavio Cobolli defeated Tristan Schoolkate 3-6, 6-3, 6-4, 7-5.
Gauff moves on in prime time Gauff, who won her first major title at Flushing Meadows three years ago, moved on by beating Paula Badosa 6-4, 7-6 (5) under the lights on Ashe in just under two hours. Badosa was playing for a third consecutive day, forced to finish her first-round match Wednesday after play was suspended Tuesday because of rain that hampered the tournament for multiple days. "Paula's a tough player," Gauff said. "I don't think there was too much I did wrong. I feel like she really stepped it up." No. 1 Alexander Zverev faces Quentin Halys in the nightcap, hoping for an easier time after needing five sets to edge Lorenzo Sonego on Tuesday, barely avoiding becoming the first No. 1 seed to lose in the first round of a men's major since 2003. Also in action Thursday night was Gael Monfils, who is planning to retire after this year but won Tuesday on his 40th birthday to prolong his Grand Slam career and advance to face No. 14 Learner Tien. ___ See AP's full tennis coverage here
Auger-Aliassime tumbles out and Keys barely hangs on Auger-Aliassime said he was feeling dizzy and seeing spots and couldn't recover, falling to Karen Khachanov 6-7 (5), 6-3, 6-2, 6-2. "Karen is a great player. Look, I cannot beat him or anybody in this draw feeling the way I felt today," the Canadian said. "If I cannot move, we're not talking about tennis here." The highest seed to fall so far had been No. 4 Novak Djokovic, who lost in the first round at the U.S. Open for the first time in the 24-time Grand Slam champion's career. Keys, the 2017 runner-up, also was on the verge of an early exit before erasing five match points and edging Anna Bondar 5-7, 6-4, 7-6 (10-5). "That was something, huh? No stress, though, we all knew I had it right?" Keys joked to the fans afterward. Other winners included 2022 champion Iga Swiatek and 2025 runner-up Amanda Anisimova. Taylor Fritz, the 2024 men's runner-up, eased to 6-0, 6-1, 6-1 victory over Mattia Bellucci, while fifth-seeded Flavio Cobolli defeated Tristan Schoolkate 3-6, 6-3, 6-4, 7-5.
Gauff moves on in prime time Gauff, who won her first major title at Flushing Meadows three years ago, moved on by beating Paula Badosa 6-4, 7-6 (5) under the lights on Ashe in just under two hours. Badosa was playing for a third consecutive day, forced to finish her first-round match Wednesday after play was suspended Tuesday because of rain that hampered the tournament for multiple days. "Paula's a tough player," Gauff said. "I don't think there was too much I did wrong. I feel like she really stepped it up." No. 1 Alexander Zverev faces Quentin Halys in the nightcap, hoping for an easier time after needing five sets to edge Lorenzo Sonego on Tuesday, barely avoiding becoming the first No. 1 seed to lose in the first round of a men's major since 2003. Also in action Thursday night was Gael Monfils, who is planning to retire after this year but won Tuesday on his 40th birthday to prolong his Grand Slam career and advance to face No. 14 Learner Tien. ___ See AP's full tennis coverage here
