Taiwan’s Chan sisters, Chuang Chia-jung and Lu Yen-hsun crashed out of the US Open on Friday, failing to make the second week in the women’s and men’s doubles tournaments at Flushing Meadows in New York.
Second seeds Chan Hao-ching and Chan Yung-jan fought back from a set down to level the match against unseeded duo Alla Kudryavtseva and Sabine Lisicki in their second-round women’s doubles match, but eventually succumbed 6-2, 0-6, 6-3 in 1 hour, 20 minutes.
The Russian-German pairing saved four of nine break points and converted six of nine, winning 68 of the 135 points contested to advance to a third-round clash with 13th-seeded Slovenians Andreja Klepac and Katarina Srebotnik.
Photo: AP
In the first round of the women’s doubles, Chuang and Kateryna Bondarenko of Ukraine also fought back from a set down, but exited 6-0, 6-7 (6/8), 6-3 to Naomi Broady and Shelby Rogers in 2 hours, 10 minutes.
The British-American pairing saved three of six break points and converted seven of 11, winning 105 of the 186 points contested, despite serving up five double faults.
In the men’s doubles, Lu and Janko Tipsarevic of Serbia fell to a 3-6, 7-6 (7/5), 7-6 (7/4) defeat to Brazilian duo Thomaz Belluci and Marcelo Demoliner in a marathon second-round match which lasted 2 hours, 35 minutes.
In the singles, Novak Djokovic reached the last 16 in just 32 minutes on Friday when Russia’s Mikhail Youzhny retired injured before fellow two-time winner Rafael Nadal also made the fourth round for the first time in three years.
Defending champion Djokovic was 4-2 ahead in the first set when 34-year-old Youzhny called it quits suffering from a left hamstring injury.
The outcome completed a bizarre first week for world No. 1 Djokovic.
After laboring over four sets to beat Jerzy Janowicz on Monday, he was handed a walkover into the third round when Czech opponent Jiri Vesely withdrew from their second-round clash with an arm injury.
“I have never had this happen before in my Grand Slam career, getting a walkover and the next match lasting just half-an-hour,” Djokovic said.
The top seed next faces Britain’s world No. 84 Kyle Edmund, who stunned the US’ John Isner 6-4, 3-6, 6-2, 7-6 (7/5) to make a Slam fourth round for the first time.
Nadal reached the fourth round for the first time since 2013 — the year of his last New York title — with a 6-1, 6-4, 6-2 win over Russia’s Andrey Kuznetsov.
“Andrey is always a tough opponent, he returns well and has good shots from the baseline,” said fourth-seeded Nadal, who next faces France’s Lucas Pouille for a quarter-final slot.
“I had a fantastic first set, a little trouble with my serve in the second, but the third was key so I am very happy,” Nadal said.
Djokovic’s very brief encounter had been preceded on Arthur Ashe Stadium by women’s eighth seed Madison Keys pulling off an epic comeback to beat Japan’s Naomi Osaka.
Keys won the latest-ever finishing women’s match at the tournament on Monday when she completed victory over compatriot Alison Riske at 1:48am.
On Friday, the 21-year-old was involved in more drama when she rallied from 1-5 down in the final set to defeat Osaka 7-5, 4-6, 7-6 (7/3).
The 18-year-old Osaka was so traumatized by her failure to convert her dominance into victory that she broke down in tears as she twice tried and failed to serve for the victory.
“This is the greatest comeback of my career, hands down,” said Keys, who next faces two-time runner-up Caroline Wozniacki for a quarter-final spot.
In stark contrast, German second seed and Australian Open champion Angelique Kerber closed out the night session with a 6-1, 6-1 win in just 53 minutes against American 17-year-old CiCi Bellis.
Kerber, who claimed her season-leading 50th match win, next faces two-time Wimbledon winner Petra Kvitova.
Jack Sock, the American 26th seed, reached the fourth round for the first time by knocking out 2014 champion Marin Cilic 6-4, 6-3, 6-3 in a tie where he did not face a single break point.
The 23-year-old Sock, whose last two appearances at the US Open ended in retirements, next faces French ninth seed Jo-Wilfried Tsonga.
Tsonga, a two-time quarter-finalist, made the last 16 with a 6-3, 6-4, 7-6 (7/4) victory over South Africa’s Kevin Anderson.
Wozniacki, who knocked out ninth-seeded former champion Svetlana Kuznetsova in the second round, clinched a seventh win in seven meetings over unorthodox Monica Niculescu of Romania.
The Dane’s 6-3, 6-1 victory featured eight breaks of serve.
Roberta Vinci, the Italian seventh seed and runner-up to compatriot Flavia Pennetta last year, overcame a second-set blip to defeat 21-year-old Carina Witthoeft 6-0, 5-7, 6-3.
The 33-year-old Vinci led 5-4, 30-0 in the second set before her 84th-ranked German opponent dug deep to take the tie into a decider.
However, Vinci prevailed on the back of 40 winners and will meet Lesia Tsurenko of the Ukraine for a quarter-final place.
Tsurenko, the world No. 99, made the last 16 at a Slam for the first time by beating 12th seed Dominika Cibulkova 3-6, 6-3, 6-4.
The 27-year-old Tsurenko committed 44 unforced errors. Fortunately for her, newly married Cibulkova hit 54.
Latvia’s Anastasija Sevastova backed up her shock victory over third seed and French Open champion Garbine Muguruza by making the last 16 for the first time with a 6-4, 6-1 win over Kateryna Bondarenko of the Ukraine.
World No. 48 Sevastova, who briefly retired in 2013, has matched her best run at a Slam and next faces British 13th seed Johanna Konta, who put out Belinda Bencic 6-2, 6-1.
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