US Open: Ostapenko ends Swiatek’s title defense, sets quarterfinal clash with Gauff

Jelena Ostapenko maintained her clean sheet against Iga Swiatek, ending the World No.1's US Open title defense with a 3-6, 6-3, 6-1 victory in the fourth round

New York: Latvia’s Jelena Ostapenko maintained her clean sheet against Iga Swiatek, ending the World No.1’s US Open title defense with a 3-6, 6-3, 6-1 victory in the fourth round.

Swiatek’s loss on Sunday means World No.2 Aryna Sabalenka will overtake the Pole and ascend to the No.1 ranking after the US Open. Swiatek will have held the top spot for 75 consecutive weeks, the third-longest first-time streak in WTA Tour history.

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Into her first US Open quarterfinal, Ostapenko will next face No.6 Coco Gauff. The two have split their two prior meetings, with Ostapenko knocking the American out of the Australian Open in January.

After taking the first set handily, a listless Swiatek found herself down 1-4 against Ostapenko. It was a deficit she could not overcome, thanks to Ostapenko’s solid service games, and the No. 20 seed assertively tucked away the set to force a decisive third.

It was all one-way traffic from there, as Swiatek fell behind quickly in the third set with two consecutive breaks against her serve. Ostapenko was not holding back, punishing the four-time Grand Slam champion’s serve with damaging returns and completely unraveling her game to earn the win in just under two hours.

Earlier in the day, Gauff defeated 33-year-old Dane wildcard Caroline Wozniacki 6-3, 3-6, 6-1 to become the first American teenager to reach back-to-back quarterfinals at the US Open since Serena Williams.