Jennifer Brady, 41st in the world, qualified for the quarter-finals of the US Open, a stage she had never reached in Grand Slam, by outclassing the German Angelique Kerber (6-1, 6- 4).
The only downside for the American in this match that she has always had under control: a pain in the adductors, which she had treated at the start of the second set but which may bother her in the long term.
At 25, Brady flew over the folded first sleeve in 22 minutes.
“I had a great first set.
In the second, I focused on each point and was frustrated to feel the pain.
I'm very happy to have won in straight sets, ”she commented.
The 32-year-old German, winner at Flushing Meadows in 2016, made a strong comeback in the second round.
But Brady, while maintaining great efficiency in his offensive play, also knew how to oppose a very high level of defense.
“I knew what I had to do when I got on the court, I had a very good game plan. I wanted to be aggressive as soon as possible and stay ahead of the score.
I didn't want to let her wander me from right to left and I succeeded, ”she explained.
After a battle of 67 minutes for this only second set, she eliminated the former world number 1 on her second match point.
What a reaction.
Yulia Putintseva gets it done in 3 against Martic @PutintsevaYulia I # USOpenpic.twitter.com / hgVYlc7JVP
- US Open Tennis (@usopen) September 6, 2020
In the next round, the American will face Yulia Putintseva.
The Kazakhe will play her first quarter-final at the US Open, after having already played two at Roland Garros.
For this, Putintseva got the better of Petra Martic in three sets (6-3, 2-6, 6-4).
A meeting with a very disjointed scenario, with a Croatian first led 5-0 in 20 minutes flat before waking up.
Too late to win the first round (3-6), but enough to win the second (6-2) and give the impression that she had gained the upper hand.
Except that she reiterated her mistake in the first set in the last by starting only 4-0 in favor of her opponent who managed to keep a break in advance to qualify in 2:30.
Round of 16 results:
Putintseva (Kaz, 23)
- Martic (Cro, 8) 6-3, 2-6, 6-4
Brady (EU, 28)
- Kerber (All, 17) 6-1, 6-4
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