US Open Lookahead: Gauff vs Stephens at night, Osaka plays
Aug 31, 2021, 4:39 AM | Updated: 4:42 pm
NEW YORK (AP) — LOOKAHEAD TO WEDNESDAY
Coco Gauff was routed by Naomi Osaka in her first time playing under the lights in Arthur Ashe Stadium. The teenager will be back out there against another past U.S. Open champion when she meets fellow American Sloane Stephens. Osaka is also in action at Ashe on a day when there may not be much action outside of the roofed stadium with rain in the forecast. Osaka beat Gauff 6-3, 6-0 in the third round in 2019, the defending champion leaving the then-15-year-old in tears. Gauff is in much better command of her game and emotions now and is seeded 21st. Stephens opened the tournament by edging Madison Keys in a rematch of her victory in the 2017 final. Osaka has won 17 straight Grand Slam matches since Gauff beat her at the 2020 Australian Open. She will play Serbian qualifier Olga Danilovic in the first match scheduled on Ashe. No. 3 seed Stefanos Tsitsipas, under criticism from players for bathroom breaks he took in the first round against Andy Murray and in other matches, faces Adrian Mannarino in the last match on Ashe. Daniil Medvedev, the No. 2 seed, follows Osaka against Dominik Koepfer.
WEDNESDAY’S FORECAST
Rain. High of 73 degrees Fahrenheit (23 Celsius).
MONDAY’S WEATHER
Partly cloudy. High of 88 degrees Fahrenheit (31 Celsius).
TUESDAY’S KEY RESULTS
Women’s First Round: No. 1 Ash Barty beat Vera Zvonareva 6-1, 7-6 (7); No. 4 Karolina Pliskova beat Caty McNally 6-3, 6-4; No. 11 Belinda Bencic beat Arantxa Rus 6-4, 6-4.
Men’s First Round: No. 4 Alexander Zverev beat Sam Querrey 6-4, 7-5, 6-2; No. 6 Matteo Berrettini beat Jeremy Chardy 7-6 (5), 7-6 (7), 6-3; No. 7 Denis Shapovalov beat Federico Delbonis 6-2, 6-2, 6-3; Maxime Cressy beat No. 9 Pablo Carreno Busta 5-7, 4-6, 6-1, 6-4, 7-6 (7); Mackenzie McDonald beat No. 27 David Goffin 6-2, 7-, 6-3.
STAT OF THE DAY
3 — Number of former UCLA players to advance in the men’s draw after victories by Maxime Cressy and Mackenzie McDonald on Tuesday. Marcos Giron won Monday.
QUOTE OF THE DAY
“I’m like, either it’s a very magical place he goes to, or there is communication there.” — Alexander Zverev, on if he believed Stefanos Tsitsipas texted with his father during a bathroom break during a match in Cincinnati.
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