Canada’s Leylah Fernandez has been eliminated from the U.S. Open following a defeat of 1-6, 6-4, 6-3 against third seed Jessica Pegula from the United States in the third round on Friday.
The 23-year-old athlete from Laval, Quebec, began the match strongly at Arthur Ashe Stadium, breaking serve to take a 2-0 lead in the first set and then securing another break to lead 5-1 before closing out the set.
Pegula managed her first break of the match at a crucial moment, moving ahead 4-2 in the second set.
Fernandez responded by breaking back to reduce Pegula’s advantage to 5-4, but Pegula regained control to clinch the set.
Pegula’s third break in the match allowed her to go up 3-1 in the final set, and she maintained her serve to secure victory after two hours and ten minutes of play.
Fernandez was the runner-up at the U.S. Open in 2021.
She remains in the doubles competition at the hardcourt Grand Slam, where she is scheduled to partner with Indonesia’s Janice Tjen against ninth seeds Erin Routliffe of New Zealand and Aldila Sutjiadi of Indonesia in the second round on Saturday.
Carlos Alcaraz triumphed over China’s Yibing Wu with a score of 6-3, 6-4, 6-1. The second-seeded Spaniard is on a mission to become the first man since Roger Federer to defend the U.S. Open title, with his next match against Tommy Paul in the fourth round.
Sabalenka into 4th round
Similar to Pegula, Aryna Sabalenka faced a challenge at the U.S. Open — both from her opponent and the scent of marijuana.
Despite these distractions, both players successfully advanced to the fourth round, maintaining their hopes for a third consecutive encounter in the tournament’s final weekend.
Sabalenka defeated Kamilla Rakhimova 6-3, 6-4 on Friday. The top seed was tested during a second set that extended for 54 minutes — one minute longer than her entire previous match.
“She played incredible tennis,” Sabalenka remarked. “She really pushed me so hard in the second set, and I appreciate when opponents bring their best game, as it drives me to improve.”
Hoping to become the first player since Serena Williams to win three consecutive U.S. Open titles from 2012 to 2014, Sabalenka is set to face Taylor Townsend in the Round of 16.
During her match at Louis Armstrong Stadium, Sabalenka was serving in the third game when she tossed the ball only to let it drop to the court. She repeated this on the following point, clearly disturbed by something.
She then approached the chair umpire to express her concern about the smell of marijuana.
“I was thinking, guys, you can do whatever you want, smoke whatever you want, relax as much as possible, but please don’t do it near the tennis courts,” Sabalenka explained when asked about her thoughts at that moment. “It becomes quite difficult to manage that smell while trying to compete at my best.”
Williams sisters lose in tiebreaker
Serena and Venus Williams have exited the U.S. Open women’s doubles after suffering a loss in a match tiebreaker.
The sisters squandered a 5-0 advantage in the 10-point tiebreaker, ultimately losing 6-3, 6-7 (6), 7-6 (10-7) to Hao-Ching Chan and Maya Joint on Friday night.
This match marked their first appearance at the U.S. Open since 2022, where they had previously won the tournament twice. They managed to pull through the second set in a tiebreaker and made a comeback from 4-1 down in the third set to level the match, but faltered in the closing moments.
Serena made her return to tennis this year at the age of 44, while Venus continues to compete at 46.
Factors such as their age, Serena’s lengthy absence, or possibly nerves may have contributed to their performance. Both players committed double faults during the tiebreaker after showcasing excellent play in the late stages of the third set and the opening points of the tiebreaker.
Serena faced Joint for the second time this summer, having previously lost to the Australian in three sets at Wimbledon during her singles return. The pair then had to withdraw from their doubles match after Serena sustained a knee injury.
This delay postponed their return to the Grand Slam stage until New York, where they have triumphed in 1999 and 2009, and now hold a record of 27-8 in their ten appearances.
The match received a coveted spot in the night session at Arthur Ashe Stadium — a rarity for first-round doubles.
The sisters were once a formidable force in women’s doubles, claiming 14 Grand Slam titles as well as Olympic gold medals in 2000, 2008, and 2012. They shared the No. 1 ranking in women’s doubles for eight weeks.
It seemed that a first-round exit in 2022 would be their last together, with Serena stepping away from tennis that year after winning 23 Grand Slam singles titles. Her comeback this summer has resulted in two heart-wrenching losses alongside her sister, having also lost in a match tiebreaker at the Cincinnati Open.
Venus Williams also faced defeat in the first round of singles.
Shelton defeats Shapovalov
Later on Friday, Ben Shelton, who claimed the National Bank Open title in Montreal last month, thrived off the supportive American crowd and progressed to the fourth round in New York with a four-set victory over Denis Shapovalov from Richmond Hill, Ontario.
Shelton won the match with scores of 7-6 (3), 6-7 (5), 6-3, 6-4 after three hours and 22 minutes of play.
The American recorded 14 aces, seven double faults, 47 winners, and 54 unforced errors. He successfully won 17 of 21 service games and six out of 21 return games.
Shapovalov, on the other hand, concluded with eight aces, seven double faults, 28 winners, and 36 unforced errors. The Canadian achieved victory in 15 of 21 service games and four out of 21 return games.
Shelton is set to encounter Stefanos Tsitsipas from Greece in the next round, who pulled off an upset against 18th-ranked Jiri Lehecka from Czechia in four sets.