Defending champion Coco Gauff came back from a set down to beat Ukrainian Elina Svitolina and reach the fourth round of the US Open.
American third seed Gauff’s bid to become the first woman to defend the title since Serena Williams in 2014 is still alive after a hard-fought 3-6 6-3 6-3 victory on Arthur Ashe Stadium in New York.
“This win means a lot,” Gauff said. “I knew today was going to be a tough match. Every time I play Elina, she’s a fighter. I knew I had to bring my best tennis.
“I thought I played well. I served much better than last match except the last service game but overall I was proud of what I was able to do.”
Svitolina earned the first break of the match in the eighth game when she superbly broke to love after Gauff’s backhand could only find the net.
A nervous silence then fell on the main show court at Flushing Meadows and Gauff could be heard saying to her team “I’m missing so much in the net”.
Three-time Grand Slam semi-finalist Svitolina, 29, then followed-up the break of serve with a hold to love to secure the first set.
After saving a break point, Gauff set up the first of her own in the sixth game of the second set and converted it with a brilliant cross-court forehand winner.
With her confidence boosted and the crowd behind her, Gauff then held serve to take firm control of the second set.
After a Svitolina hold, Gauff served out the set to love to force a decider, letting out a huge roar in front of her home crowd.
The 20-year-old American continued her momentum by breaking Svitolina’s serve twice to surge into a 4-1 lead.
But she then failed to convert three match points while trying to serve out the match before eventually securing the win by breaking Svitolina to love in the next game, screaming to the crowd in delight.
She will take on compatriot Emma Navarro after her 6-4 4-6 6-3 win over Ukraine’s Marta Kostyuk.
The two Americans met in the fourth round of Wimbledon this year, with Navarro causing a shock on Centre Court.
Badosa and Zheng reach fourth round
In other action in the women’s draw on Friday, Spaniard Paula Badosa saved a match point as she came behind to beat Romanian Elena-Gabriela Ruse.
Badosa, seeded 26th, needed a match tie-break to book a spot in the fourth round for the first time with a 4-6 6-1 7-6 (10-8) victory.
The Spanish former world number two said she was playing “maybe at one of the best levels” of her career after an injury-hit year.
“It means so much, and after what I’ve been through the last year, for me it’s very special to already be on this level,” said Badosa, who has constant pain in her back after a stress fracture.
“At the beginning of the year I was obsessed – I wanted to have the comeback of the year, like no matter what.
“So I think I’m in a good moment now, and I’m very happy that I can prove all this again.
“I’m back at the top. For me it means a lot because it’s where I want to be.”
Badosa, 26, will take on Wang Yafan next after the Chinese player overcame former world number one Victoria Azarenka 6-4 3-6 6-1.
Olympic champion Zheng Qinwen’s bid for a first Grand Slam title remains on course after she cruised past German Jule Niemeier.
China’s Zheng dropped just three games on her way to a 6-2 6-1 victory.
Seventh seed Zheng opened up on her new-found fame following her gold medal in Paris, saying that when she got back to China she had started having to put a cap on “because if someone recognises me, there will be a lot of people come to ask [for] my signature”.
Zheng will play Donna Vekic after the Croatian 24th seed defeated American Peyton Stearns 7-5 6-4.