College-bound Bellis unable to take earnings

Catherine Cartan "CiCi" Bellis beat her American compatriot Shelby Rogers 2-6, 6-2, 6-2 in the second round on Wednesday and earned US$140,000 (S$213,000) for her effort.

But the 17-year-old, who burst onto the scene in 2014 with an upset win over Dominika Cibulkova, has already given a verbal commitment to play at Stanford University, and must forfeit her windfall to maintain her college eligibility.

THE GUARDIAN

Nadal first to play under new Arthur Ashe roof

Rafael Nadal boasted after his first-round US Open match that he has a video recording of being the first player to hit a ball in practice under the new roof at the Arthur Ashe Stadium.

On Wednesday, the fourth- seeded Spaniard achieved the double as he hit the first ball in competition under the US$150 million (S$205 million) roof, after rain briefly interrupted his second-round match against Italian Andreas Seppi.

REUTERS

Anderson finds new fan in injury-filled season

Amid myriad health troubles this year, Kevin Anderson found a new fan who was on hand to cheer the South African in a second-round victory on Wednesday.

"My doctor who did my dental surgery actually flew up to watch me play and gave me some support," said Anderson, who also had the vocal backing of his wife, his physio, his coach and a few friends from his days at the University of Illinois.

AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE