Alcaraz, Pegula roll through US Open third round, Raducanu loses to Rybakina
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Spain's Carlos Alcaraz celebrates winning his third-round match against Italy's Luciano Darderi.
PHOTO: REUTERS
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- Alcaraz overcame a knee issue to defeat Darderi, advancing to the next round, continuing his pursuit of another US Open title.
- Raducanu's US Open run ended with a loss to Rybakina, but she remains optimistic about her recent improvements and future performance.
- Pegula and Vondrousova advanced, while Djokovic aims for his 25th Grand Slam title, facing Norrie in the next round.
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NEW YORK - Second seed Carlos Alcaraz dished out another devastating defeat, while 2021 champion Emma Raducanu’s run ended in bitter disappointment in the US Open third round on Aug 29.
Alcaraz, the 2022 Flushing Meadows champion who has claimed an ATP-best six titles this season, shook off a right knee problem to brush aside Italy’s Luciano Darderi 6-2 6-4 6-0.
The Spaniard took a medical timeout to address the issue in the second set but eased fans’ worries as he sprinted through the final set with just two unforced errors to set up a meeting with France’s Arthur Rinderknech.
American fourth seed Jessica Pegula defeated twice Australian Open winner Victoria Azarenka 6-1 7-5.
Raducanu has shown signs of improvement this year, reaching the US Open third round for the first time since her 2021 triumph, but it was not enough to get past ninth seed Elena Rybakina, who cruised to a 6-1 6-2 win on Louis Armstrong Stadium.
“It’s going to be important to just look at the last few months as a whole, last few weeks as a whole and the improvements that I’m making, because a match like that can easily kind of get you down if you let it,” said Raducanu, who had failed to win a match in her last two visits to the hardcourt major.
“So I’m going to try and not do that and regroup.”
Rybakina, who triumphed at Wimbledon three years ago, reached the US Open fourth round for the first time and will next play Czech Marketa Vondrousova.
Vondrousova, the 2023 Wimbledon winner, eliminated Italian seventh seed Jasmine Paolini 7-6(4) 6-1.
Novak Djokovic will be hoping to get another step closer to an elusive 25th Grand Slam title when he looks to extend his 6-0 win-loss record over 35th-ranked Cameron Norrie in the night session on Arthur Ashe Stadium.
The former world number one readily admits that he has lost some of his fire after claiming his last major at the 2023 US Open, with the 38-year-old failing to reach the final at any of the slams for over a year.
Teenaged fifth seed Mirra Andreeva, who claimed a pair of 1000-level titles earlier this year, plays American Taylor Townsend in the final match of the night on Ashe.
Others in action include world number one and defending champion Aryna Sabalenka, who plays Canadian 31st seed Leylah Fernandez.
Fernandez defeated Sabalenka during her remarkable run to the 2021 final and will hope that lightning strikes again on Aug 29
American fourth seed Taylor Fritz will face Swiss qualifier Jerome Kym. REUTERS
