US Open Glance: Federer, Wawrinka, Serena in quarterfinals
NEW YORK (AP) — LOOKAHEAD TO TUESDAY
Roger Federer’s potential path to the U.S. Open final no longer includes nemesis Novak Djokovic — or anyone else who ever has beaten him on a hard court, for that matter. Federer is 26-0 on that surface against the players left on his half of the bracket. The next step for the five-time champion at Flushing Meadows is a quarterfinal against unseeded Grigor Dimitrov. The other men’s quarterfinal on Day 9 of the Grand Slam tournament is No. 5 Daniil Medvedev against No. 23 Stan Wawrinka, who advanced when defending champion and No. 1 seed Djokovic retired from their fourth-round match because of a painful left shoulder. Federer is 6-0 against Dimitrov on hard courts and, should he move on, would bring unbeaten records on the surface into a semifinal against either Wawrinka (17-0) or Medvedev (3-0). The 38-year-old Federer is trying to become the oldest Grand Slam semifinalist since Jimmy Connors was 39 during his 1991 run at the U.S. Open; No. 78 Dimitrov is trying to become the lowest-ranked semifinalist in New York since Connors was No. 174 that year. Wawrinka, who won the 2016 U.S. Open, faces maybe the most in-form player on tour at the moment in Medvedev, who leads the ATP with 48 wins and is 9-0 in quarterfinals this year. Serena Williams tries to get back to the semifinals when she plays first-time quarterfinalist Wang Qiang, while No. 5 Elina Svitolina meets No. 16 Johanna Konta.
TUESDAY’S FORECAST
Sunny. High of 81 degrees (27 C).
MONDAY’S WEATHER
Showers. High of 75 degrees (24 C).
MONDAY’S KEY RESULTS
Men’s fourth round: No. 20 Diego Schwartzman beat No. 6 Alexander Zverev 3-6, 6-2, 6-4, 6-3; No. 24 Matteo Berrettini beat Andrey Rublev 6-1, 6-4, 7-6 (6).
Women’s fourth round: No. 13 Belinda Bencic beat No. 1 Naomi Osaka 7-5, 6-4; No. 23 Donna Vekic beat No. 26 Julia Goerges 6-7 (5), 7-5, 6-3; No. 25 Elise Mertens beat Kristie Ahn 6-1, 6-1.
STAT OF THE DAY
42 — Years since the last time a man from Italy reached the quarterfinals at the U.S. Open; Matteo Berrettini is the first to do so since Corrado Barazzutti in 1977.
QUOTE OF THE DAY
“I honestly didn’t move well today. You know what I mean? I felt like I was always flat-footed.” — Defending champion and No. 1 seed Naomi Osaka, who was hampered by her left knee in her loss to Belinda Bencic.