The Latest: Vekic comes back to advance to US Open quarters
NEW YORK (AP) — The Latest on the U.S. Open tennis tournament (all times local):
2 p.m.
Donna Vekic survived a match point to beat Julia Goerges 6-7 (5), 7-5, 6-3 and advance to the U.S. Open quarterfinals, her deepest run in any Grand Slam.
Vekic, the No. 23 seed from Croatia who lost to Goerges at this stage in last year’s Open, had to dig out of a hole to beat the No. 26-seeded German this time. Vekic was down 5-4 in the second set and faced a match point against her, but Goerges failed to close it out in a service game in which she double-faulted three times.
In the deciding set, Vekic made a crucial service break to go up 5-3 and closed out the match when she put up a lob that Goerges slammed long.
Next up for Vekic is No. 13 Belinda Bencic, who upset top-seeded Naomi Osaka 7-5, 6-4 earlier on Arthur Ashe Stadium. Vekic beat Bencic in the third round of this year’s French Open.
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1:45 p.m.
Defending champion Naomi Osaka was eliminated from the U.S. Open in the fourth round with a 7-5, 6-4 loss to No. 13 Belinda Bencic.
Osaka, who struggled with left knee pain before the tournament, was visited by medical personnel in the second set and took some type of tablet, but it was unclear what was bothering her.
The top-ranked Osaka, who looked so sharp in the second set of her 6-3, 6-0 rout of 15-year-old Coco Gauff on Saturday night, didn’t seem to have the same movement or spirit in the first match on Arthur Ashe Stadium on Monday.
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11:55 a.m.
Play is being delayed on all the outside courts at the U.S. Open because of rain.
Tournament officials announced that play would not begin before 12:30 p.m. on any of the outside courts.
So the only match going on at that point was a fourth-round women’s singles meeting between No. 23 Donna Vekic and 26th-seeded Julia Goerges at Louis Armstrong Stadium, which has a retractable roof. Play was scheduled to begin on Arthur Ashe Stadium, the other roofed stadium, at noon with top-ranked Naomi Osaka facing No. 13 Belinda Bencic.
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3 a.m.
After an easy first week at the U.S. Open, Rafael Nadal figures to have a challenge in the fourth round.
The No. 2 seed faces No. 22 Marin Cilic in a matchup of past champions, with the winner getting a spot in the quarterfinals.
Nadal has played just two matches and spent a little more than four hours on the court, getting a walkover in the second round and winning twice in straight sets.
Cilic, the 2014 champion, hopes to improve to 6-0 in fourth-round matches at Flushing Meadows.
Top-ranked Naomi Osaka is also in action, while American teenagers Coco Gauff and Caty McNally try to remain unbeaten in doubles. Taylor Townsend and Kristie Ahn of the U.S. hope to extend their longest runs in Grand Slam tournaments.
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