Canadian teen Shapovalov advances to U.S. Open’s 4th round
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Canada’s Denis Shapovalov reacts after scoring a point from Kyle Edmund of Great Britain during the third round of the U.S. Open tennis tournament today in New York.
NEW YORK >> Canadian teenager Denis Shapovalov is the youngest man to reach the U.S. Open’s fourth round since Michael Chang was 17 in 1989.
The 18-year-old Shapovalov advanced to the round of 16 at a major tournament for the first time when Kyle Edmund of Britain stopped playing because of a neck injury.
Sloane Stephens also advanced today, something she last did in 2013. The 24-year-old American won for the 11th time in her past 13 matches as she continues her comeback from foot surgery, beating Ashleigh Barty of Australia 6-2, 6-4.
Stephens went 11 months without entering a tournament because of an injured left foot. She returned to the tour at Wimbledon in July.
Not too long ago, Stephens appeared to be a rising star in tennis, making at least the fourth round at six consecutive Grand Slam tournaments, including a semifinal run at the 2013 Australian Open.
Now she is into the second week at a major for the first time since the 2015 French Open.
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In earlier action today:
>> Past U.S. Open champion Marin Cilic made 80 unforced errors and was beaten in the third round by 29th-seeded Diego Schwartzman of Argentina 4-6, 7-5, 7-5, 6-4. Cilic won the 2014 title at Flushing Meadows.
His loss means there will be a first-time Grand Slam finalist this year from the bottom half of the draw. Only one man left on that side of the bracket has even made it as far as the semifinals at a Grand Slam tournament.
>> Pablo Carreno Busta reached the fourth round for the first time by easily eliminating qualifier Nicolas Mahut 6-3, 6-4, 6-3. The 12th-seeded Spaniard has only once been as far as the quarterfinals at a Grand Slam tournament, at the French Open in June.
>> Two-time Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova moved on with a 6-0, 6-4 victory over 18th-seeded Caroline Garcia of France. It was only the 19th match of the year for Kvitova, who missed the first half of the season after she was cut on her left hand — the one she holds her racket with — during an attack by a knife-wielding intruder at her home in the Czech Republic in December.
She never faced a break point today and raced through the first set in 26 minutes.
