Daily Express - 02.09.2019

52 Daily Express Monday, September 2, 2019 TENNIS: US OPEN

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By Gary Ralston

Picture: CLIVE BRUNSKILL

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ROGER FEDERER is in a

hurry to extend his record

of Grand Slam wins.

The No3 seed marched

into the US Open quarter-

finals by swatting aside

Belgian David Goffin 6-2,

6-2, 6-0. The 38-year-old

took just one hour and 20

minutes to see off Brit Dan

Evans in straight sets in the

third round. This time, he

was 60 seconds swifter in

setting up a last-eight

showdown with Grigor

Dimitrov or Alex de Minaur.

Federer, who has won 20

Grand Slams and reached

56 quarter-finals in the

Majors, including 13 in New

York, said: “I feel bad on

beating up on a good friend

like David – I hope he

recovers from this and has a

strong end to the year.

“I had a good feeling

about this match, but I also

have to admit David didn’t

have his best day.”

Federer led the head to

head against Goffin 8-1 and

the match was never in

doubt, even after Goffin

broke his rival in the third

game of the first set.

The Swiss, in the fourth

round for the 18th straight

year, broke straight back

and went on to underline his

authority in the quickest

completed match in the

men’s singles so far.

He is a five-time winner

here, but has not triumphed

since 2008 – and could face

reigning champion Novak

Djokovic in the semis.

Federer

in cruise

control

FEDERER: Easy win

By Gary Ralston

Konta makes history by becoming first Brit

to reach last eight since Durie 36 years ago

JO SHOWS

TRUE GRIT

JUBILANT Jo Konta proved she has

the bottle for the battle as she made

history at the US Open.

She became the first British female in

36 years to make the quarter-finals at

Flushing Meadows after a 6-7, 6-3, 7-5

win over third seed Karolina Pliskova.

The 29-year-old’s ability to perform

under pressure has been questioned

after defeats at the French Open and

Wimbledon earlier this year.

However, she showed her mettle to

come back from a set and 3-1 down and

now faces a showdown in the last eight

with Madison Keys or Elina Svitolina

tomorrow.

The last British woman to go so deep

at the US Open was Jo Durie in 1983

and Konta, watched again by celebrity

superfan Tom Hiddleston, will be

confident of at least matching that semi-

final run.

It was only Konta’s seventh career

win over rivals ranked in the top five

and she joins an elite group of 14

current players who have reached the

quarter-finals of all the Slams.

Konta was an impressive 16-3 for the

year in deciding sets heading into the

third and the first 10 games all went

with serve.

However, Konta appeared to pull a

psychological masterstroke when she

headed to her kitbag at 5-5 for a new

set of wristbands, forcing the Czech to

delay her serve.

Pliskova blinked first when she

subsequently gave up her serve and

Konta, so strong on her forehand, took

the match in the next game on her

second match point.

Konta had made the perfect start,

breaking Pliskova in the very first game

to love before holding her serve.

But she missed a glorious chance to

go 4-1 up when she gave up five break

points, including three at 0-40, as

Pliskova dug in to hold.

However, Konta emerged to lead 4-2

after saving a break point on her serve

and then forced another two in the very

next game, but plucky Pliskova refused

to be cowed.

Konta had held 24 of her 26 service

games in the tournament heading into

the fourth round, second only to Serena

Williams, and her confidence was

underlined when she edged 5-3 in front.

Pliskova held, but Konta was gripped

by tension for the first time in the match

and a failure to deliver on her first

serve and four unforced errors cost her

the set as her rival broke back to make

it 5-5.

Pliskova turned the screw in the tie-

break, sensing indecision in Konta for

the first time and winning 7-1 to clinch

a set that had been there for the taking.

But Konta showed her determination

in the second set as she recovered from

3-1 down, rattling off five games in a

row to take it to the decisive set.

IT’S ALL

OVA...

Konta can

hardly

believe it

after her

stunning

win over

Pliskova